Boot from memory-stick?

[Lokrin]

Linux Journal this month (August 2005) has an article on this.  The 
Ultimate in Small Linux. In the TOOLBOX Cooking with Linux section by 
Marcel Gagne.

http://www.linuxjournal.com/article/8326.

They talk mainly about two distros, DSL (Damn Small Linux) and Puppy 
Linux.  They talk about using Credit Card CDs and USB memory sticks.

I don't know how useful this might be to you, but it may be a start.