diff --git a/ui/ImageGrid.js b/ui/ImageGrid.js
index 6464cf3f..fa1d57d6 100755
--- a/ui/ImageGrid.js
+++ b/ui/ImageGrid.js
@@ -187,6 +187,30 @@ function isBetween(a, i, lst){
 }
 
 
+// Basic liner search...
+function linSearch(target, lst, check, return_position, disable_direct_indexing){
+	// XXX is this the correct default?
+	check = check == null ? isBetween : check
+	// special case: target in the list directly...
+	if(disable_direct_indexing 
+			&& check(target, lst.indexOf(target), lst) == 0){
+		return target
+	}
+	// special case: tail...
+	if(check(target, lst.length-1, lst) >= 0){
+		return lst[lst.length-1]
+	}
+
+	for(var i=0; i < lst.length; i++){
+		if(check(target, i, lst) == 0){
+			return return_position ? i : lst[i]
+		}
+	}
+
+	// no hit...
+	return return_position ? -1 : null
+}
+
 // Basic binary search implementation...
 //
 // NOTE: this will return the object by default, to return position set
@@ -194,7 +218,7 @@ function isBetween(a, i, lst){
 // NOTE: by default this will use isBetween as a predicate.
 // NOTE: this still depends on .indexOf(...), to disable set
 // 		disable_direct_indexing to true
-// XXX BUG this tends to fall into infinite loops...
+// XXX BUGGY
 // XXX this is a mess, needs revision...
 function binSearch(target, lst, check, return_position, disable_direct_indexing){
 	// XXX is this the correct default?
@@ -241,13 +265,14 @@ function binSearch(target, lst, check, return_position, disable_direct_indexing)
 
 
 // Same as getImageBefore, but uses gids and searches in DATA...
-function getGIDBefore(gid, ribbon){
+function getGIDBefore(gid, ribbon, search){
+	search = search == null ? linSearch : search
 	ribbon = DATA.ribbons[ribbon]
 	var order = DATA.order
 
 	var target = order.indexOf(gid)
 
-	return binSearch(target, ribbon, function (a, i, lst){
+	return search(target, ribbon, function (a, i, lst){
 		var b = order.indexOf(lst[i])
 		var c = order.indexOf(lst[i+1])
 		// hit...
diff --git a/ui/index.html b/ui/index.html
index 04c5f59d..f31aade6 100755
--- a/ui/index.html
+++ b/ui/index.html
@@ -267,8 +267,19 @@ $(function(){
 		// XXX update this depending on zoom and navigation speed...
 		var LOAD_SCREENS = 2
 		// XXX update this depending on zoom and navigation speed...
-		var LOAD_THRESHOLD = 0.5
+		var LOAD_THRESHOLD = 1
 		$('.viewer')
+			// XXX still some times does not load the needed ribbon section
+			//		on the first try...
+			//		Example state:
+			//					0	[50]	99
+			//				.. .. .. .. .. .. ..
+			//			in this case moving between the top ribbon images
+			//			does not center the bottom ribbon right away, needs
+			//			several clicks on the current image to get there...
+			//			...also when going down from 50 lastImage() behaves
+			//			in a very odd way, going back and froth rather than 
+			//			reaching 98 right away...
 			.on('preCenteringRibbon', function(evt, ribbon, image){
 				// NOTE: we do not need to worry about centering the ribbon 
 				//		here, just ball-park-load the correct batch...
@@ -276,25 +287,28 @@ $(function(){
 				// check if we are in the right range...
 				var gid = getImageGID(image)
 				var r = getRibbonIndex(ribbon)
+				var gr = DATA.ribbons[r]
 				var img_before = getImageBefore(image, ribbon)
 				var gid_before = getGIDBefore(gid, r)
 
 				// load the head of the images...
-				if(img_before.length == 0 && gid_before == null){
-					var gr = DATA.ribbons[r]
+				if(gid_before == null){
 					// NOTE: rolling to any number of positions greater than length 
 					//		of the ribbon will set the ribbon to its start/end 
 					//		depending on the sign...
 					rollImages(-gr.length, ribbon)
 
+				// load the tail...
+				// XXX for some reason this does not work (see XXX on top of the binding)
+				} else if(gid_before == gr[gr.length-1]){
+					rollImages(gr.length, ribbon)
+
 				// load a new set of images...
-				} else if(img_before.length == 0 
-						|| (getImageGID(img_before) 
-								&& getImageGID(img_before) != gid_before)){
+				} else if(getImageGID(img_before) != gid_before){
 					var images = ribbon.find('.image')
-					// middle image...
-					var cur = getImageGID(images.eq(Math.round(images.length/2)))
-					var gr = DATA.ribbons[r]
+					//var cur = getImageGID(images.eq(Math.round(images.length/2)))
+					var cur = getImageGID(images.first())
+					// XXX this sometimes misses...
 					rollImages(gr.indexOf(gid_before) - gr.indexOf(cur), ribbon)
 				}
 			})
@@ -350,6 +364,7 @@ $(function(){
 							.index(ribbon.find('[gid='+JSON.stringify(gid)+']'))
 				DATA.ribbons[to].splice(index, 0, gid)
 			})
+
 			.on('createdRibbon', function(evt, index){
 				index = getRibbonIndex(index)
 
@@ -360,28 +375,18 @@ $(function(){
 				console.log('removing ribbon...')
 				DATA.ribbons.splice(index, 1)
 			})
+
 			.on('requestedFirstImage', function(evt, ribbon){
 				var r = getRibbonIndex(ribbon)
-
-				// XXX this result in an infinite loop somewhere...
-				//var target = DATA.ribbons[r][0]
-				//
-				//loadImages(target, 30, ribbon)	
-
 				var gr = DATA.ribbons[r]
 				rollImages(-gr.length, ribbon)
 			})
 			.on('requestedLastImage', function(evt, ribbon){
 				var r = getRibbonIndex(ribbon)
-
-				// XXX this result in an infinite loop somewhere...
-				//var target = DATA.ribbons[r][DATA.ribbons[r].length-1]
-				//
-				//loadImages(target, 30, ribbon)	
-
 				var gr = DATA.ribbons[r]
 				rollImages(gr.length, ribbon)
 			})
+
 			// XXX do we need to make this less global?
 			.on('fittingImages', function(evt, n){
 				updateImages()