diff --git a/CHANGES b/CHANGES
--- a/CHANGES
+++ b/CHANGES
@@ -1,4 +1,9 @@
-6.0.0.0
+0.7.0.0
+=======
+
+- NFData instances for deepseq/parallel-2
+
+0.6.0.0
 =======
 
 - added randomVector, gaussianSample, uniformSample, meanCov
diff --git a/README b/README
--- a/README
+++ b/README
@@ -117,3 +117,7 @@
   safely used on lists that are too long (or infinite).
 
 - Chris Waterson improved the configure.hs program for OS/X.
+
+- Erik de Castro Lopo added buildVector and buildMatrix, which take a
+  size parameter(s) and a function that maps vector/matrix indices
+  to the values at that position.
diff --git a/configure.hs b/configure.hs
--- a/configure.hs
+++ b/configure.hs
@@ -31,6 +31,7 @@
        , "cblas"
        , "gslcblas"
        , "blas gslcblas"
+       , "f77blas"
        , "f77blas cblas atlas gcc_s"     -- Arch Linux (older version of atlas-lapack)
        , "blas gslcblas gfortran"        -- Arch Linux with normal blas and lapack
        ]
diff --git a/examples/parallel.hs b/examples/parallel.hs
--- a/examples/parallel.hs
+++ b/examples/parallel.hs
@@ -5,8 +5,8 @@
 import Control.Parallel.Strategies
 import System.Time
 
-inParallel = parMap rnf id
--- rwhnf also works in this case
+inParallel = parMap rwhnf id
+--  rdeepseq (or older rnf) not needed in this case
 
 -- matrix product decomposed into p parallel subtasks
 parMul p x y = fromBlocks [ inParallel ( map (x <>) ys ) ]
diff --git a/examples/plot.hs b/examples/plot.hs
--- a/examples/plot.hs
+++ b/examples/plot.hs
@@ -16,5 +16,5 @@
 main = do
     let x = linspace 1000 (-4,4)
     mplot [f x]
-    mplot [x, liftVector cumdist x,  liftVector gaussianPDF x]
+    mplot [x, mapVector cumdist x, mapVector gaussianPDF x]
     mesh (sombrero 40)
diff --git a/hmatrix.cabal b/hmatrix.cabal
--- a/hmatrix.cabal
+++ b/hmatrix.cabal
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 Name:               hmatrix
-Version:            0.6.0.0
+Version:            0.7.1.0
 License:            GPL
 License-file:       LICENSE
 Author:             Alberto Ruiz
@@ -11,7 +11,7 @@
                     and other numerical computations, internally implemented using
                     GSL, BLAS and LAPACK.
 Category:           Math
-tested-with:        GHC ==6.10.3
+tested-with:        GHC ==6.10.4
 
 cabal-version:      >=1.2
 build-type:         Custom
@@ -71,8 +71,7 @@
     Build-Depends:      haskell98,
                         QuickCheck, HUnit,
                         storable-complex,
-                        process,
-                        parallel
+                        process
 
     Extensions:         ForeignFunctionInterface,
                         CPP
diff --git a/lib/Data/Packed/Matrix.hs b/lib/Data/Packed/Matrix.hs
--- a/lib/Data/Packed/Matrix.hs
+++ b/lib/Data/Packed/Matrix.hs
@@ -19,7 +19,7 @@
     (><),
     trans,
     reshape, flatten,
-    fromLists, toLists,
+    fromLists, toLists, buildMatrix,
     (@@>),
     asRow, asColumn,
     fromRows, toRows, fromColumns, toColumns,
@@ -175,6 +175,21 @@
 -- | creates a 1-column matrix from a vector
 asColumn :: Element a => Vector a -> Matrix a
 asColumn v = reshape 1 v
+
+
+{- | creates a Matrix of the specified size using the supplied function to
+     to map the row/column position to the value at that row/column position.
+
+@> buildMatrix 3 4 (\ (r,c) -> fromIntegral r * fromIntegral c)
+(3><4)
+ [ 0.0, 0.0, 0.0, 0.0, 0.0
+ , 0.0, 1.0, 2.0, 3.0, 4.0
+ , 0.0, 2.0, 4.0, 6.0, 8.0]@
+-}
+buildMatrix :: Element a => Int -> Int -> ((Int, Int) -> a) -> Matrix a
+buildMatrix rc cc f =
+    fromLists $ map (\x -> map f x)
+    	$ map (\ ri -> map (\ ci -> (ri, ci)) [0 .. (cc - 1)]) [0 .. (rc - 1)]
 
 -----------------------------------------------------
 
diff --git a/lib/Data/Packed/Vector.hs b/lib/Data/Packed/Vector.hs
--- a/lib/Data/Packed/Vector.hs
+++ b/lib/Data/Packed/Vector.hs
@@ -14,7 +14,7 @@
 
 module Data.Packed.Vector (
     Vector,
-    fromList, (|>), toList,
+    fromList, (|>), toList, buildVector,
     dim, (@>),
     subVector, join,
     constant, linspace,
@@ -59,3 +59,14 @@
 constant :: Element a => a -> Int -> Vector a
 -- constant x n = runSTVector (newVector x n)
 constant = constantD -- about 2x faster
+
+{- | creates a Vector of the specified length using the supplied function to
+     to map the index to the value at that index.
+
+@> buildVector 4 fromIntegral
+4 |> [0.0,1.0,2.0,3.0]@
+
+-}
+buildVector :: Element a => Int -> (Int -> a) -> Vector a
+buildVector len f =
+    fromList $ map f [0 .. (len - 1)]
diff --git a/lib/Numeric/LinearAlgebra/Instances.hs b/lib/Numeric/LinearAlgebra/Instances.hs
--- a/lib/Numeric/LinearAlgebra/Instances.hs
+++ b/lib/Numeric/LinearAlgebra/Instances.hs
@@ -27,7 +27,7 @@
 import Foreign(Storable)
 import Data.Monoid
 import Data.Packed.Internal.Vector
-import Control.Parallel.Strategies
+-- import Control.Parallel.Strategies
 
 ------------------------------------------------------------------
 
@@ -199,8 +199,8 @@
 
 ---------------------------------------------------------------
 
-instance (NFData a, Storable a) => NFData (Vector a) where
-    rnf = rnf . (@>0)
-
-instance (NFData a, Element a) => NFData (Matrix a) where
-    rnf = rnf . flatten
+-- instance (NFData a, Storable a) => NFData (Vector a) where
+--     rnf = rnf . (@>0)
+--
+-- instance (NFData a, Element a) => NFData (Matrix a) where
+--     rnf = rnf . flatten