diff --git a/ui/data.js b/ui/data.js
index 98767f1d..eed1c543 100755
--- a/ui/data.js
+++ b/ui/data.js
@@ -57,6 +57,16 @@ var CONFIG = {
 	// Application name...
 	app_name: 'ImageGrid.Viewer',
 
+	// Navigation...
+	//
+	// The number of moves after which the default direction will be 
+	// changed...
+	//
+	// This affects:
+	// 	- default direction to focus after current image is shifted
+	// 	- default direction of the slideshow
+	steps_to_change_direction: 2,
+	
 	// Loader configuration...
 	//
 	//						load_screens	
diff --git a/ui/keybindings.js b/ui/keybindings.js
index d66bc8d1..a87b5019 100755
--- a/ui/keybindings.js
+++ b/ui/keybindings.js
@@ -6,8 +6,7 @@
 
 //var DEBUG = DEBUG != null ? DEBUG : true
 
-var STEPS_TO_CHANGE_DIRECTION = 2
-var _STEPS_LEFT_TO_CHANGE_DIRECTION = STEPS_TO_CHANGE_DIRECTION
+var _STEPS_LEFT_TO_CHANGE_DIRECTION = CONFIG.steps_to_change_direction
 var DIRECTION = 'next'
 
 
@@ -19,10 +18,10 @@ function updateDirection(direction){
 		_STEPS_LEFT_TO_CHANGE_DIRECTION--
 		if(_STEPS_LEFT_TO_CHANGE_DIRECTION == 0){
 			DIRECTION = direction
-			_STEPS_LEFT_TO_CHANGE_DIRECTION = 2
+			_STEPS_LEFT_TO_CHANGE_DIRECTION = CONFIG.steps_to_change_direction
 		}
 	} else {
-			_STEPS_LEFT_TO_CHANGE_DIRECTION = 2
+			_STEPS_LEFT_TO_CHANGE_DIRECTION = CONFIG.steps_to_change_direction
 	}
 }
 
@@ -293,17 +292,19 @@ var KEYBOARD_CONFIG = {
 		title: 'Ribbon view',
 
 		Left: {
+				// XXX revise...
 				alt: doc('Shift image left', 
 					function(){ 
 						event.preventDefault()
 						shiftImageLeft() 
 						centerView(null, 'css')
 						// XXX for some odd reason centerRibbons does 
-						// 		something really odd here...
+						// 		something really odd here -- images get to
+						// 		correct positions but the align is totally 
+						// 		wrong...
+						// 		...race condition???
 						//centerRibbons()
 						// XXX HACK...
-						// XXX this still gets misaligned sometimes but this
-						// 		is likely due to one of the align bugs 
 						if(window._center_ribbon_delay != null){
 							clearTimeout(_center_ribbon_delay)
 						}
@@ -317,18 +318,19 @@ var KEYBOARD_CONFIG = {
 				ctrl: 'prev-screen',
 			},
 		Right: {
+				// XXX revise...
 				alt: doc('Shift image right', 
 					function(){ 
 						event.preventDefault()
 						shiftImageRight() 
 						centerView(null, 'css')
 						// XXX for some odd reason centerRibbons does 
-						// 		something really odd here...
+						// 		something really odd here -- images get to
+						// 		correct positions but the align is totally 
+						// 		wrong...
+						// 		...race condition???
 						//centerRibbons()
 						// XXX HACK...
-						// XXX this still gets misaligned sometimes but this
-						// 		is likely due to one of the align bugs 
-						// 		(see: TODO.otl)
 						if(window._center_ribbon_delay != null){
 							clearTimeout(_center_ribbon_delay)
 						}
diff --git a/ui/marks.js b/ui/marks.js
index dd540a0b..6ae6fd51 100755
--- a/ui/marks.js
+++ b/ui/marks.js
@@ -33,8 +33,14 @@ function _addMark(cls, gid, image){
 		mark = $('<div class="mark"/>')
 			.addClass(gid)
 			.addClass(cls)
-			.insertAfter(image)
+			//.insertAfter(image)
 	} 
+
+	// make sure the mark is explicitly after the image...
+	// XXX think of an eficient way to test if we need to re-insert...
+	mark
+		.insertAfter(image)
+
 	return mark
 }
 function _removeMark(cls, gid, image){
diff --git a/ui/ribbons.js b/ui/ribbons.js
index 04f11910..ff7ac901 100755
--- a/ui/ribbons.js
+++ b/ui/ribbons.js
@@ -1169,7 +1169,7 @@ function zoomOut(){
 
 
 /************************************************** Editor Actions ***/
-// NOTE: for shiftImageRight/shiftImageLeft see data.js, as they depend
+// NOTE: for shiftImageRight/shiftImageLeft see sort.js, as they depend
 // 		on data ordering...
 
 function shiftImageTo(image, direction, moving, force_create_ribbon){
diff --git a/ui/ui.js b/ui/ui.js
index 1761c192..1b066cb2 100755
--- a/ui/ui.js
+++ b/ui/ui.js
@@ -1335,6 +1335,7 @@ function setupUI(viewer){
 				'focusingImage',
 				'fittingImages',
 				//'updatingImageProportions',
+				'horizontalSiftedImage',
 			].join(' '), 
 			function(){
 				updateCurrentMarker()