diff --git a/spike.cabal b/spike.cabal
--- a/spike.cabal
+++ b/spike.cabal
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 Name:                spike
-Version:             0.2
+Version:             0.3
 Synopsis:            Experimental web browser
 Description:         Experimental web browser based on WebKit-Gtk+
 License:             BSD3
@@ -23,8 +23,8 @@
                      Commands, BrowseTreeOperations
   Hs-source-dirs:    src
   Build-depends:     webkit == 0.12.*, containers, gtk, base == 4.*, 
-                     stm, mtl > 2, rosezipper, process, directory, 
-                     filepath, glib, random, global-variables
+                     stm, mtl > 2, rosezipper == 0.2.*, process, directory, 
+                     filepath, glib, random, global-variables == 1.0.*
   Ghc-options:       -rtsopts
   C-sources:         cbits/cbits.c
   pkgconfig-depends: libsoup-gnome-2.4
diff --git a/src/BrowseTreeOperations.hs b/src/BrowseTreeOperations.hs
--- a/src/BrowseTreeOperations.hs
+++ b/src/BrowseTreeOperations.hs
@@ -201,14 +201,15 @@
   widgetShowAll page
 
   let ww = (thisWidget,web)
-      newChildPage = do
+      newChildPageDefault = newChildPage "http://google.com"
+      newChildPage url = do
         print "[newChildPage called]"
         btree <- readTVarIO btreeSt
         debugBTree btree
         case findPageWidget btree thisWidget of
           Just p -> do
-            ww' <- newWeb btreeSt refreshLayout "about:blank"
-            p' <- newPage ww' "about:blank" -- TODO: win the battle over the power to navigate the web view.
+            ww' <- newWeb btreeSt refreshLayout url
+            p' <- newPage ww' url -- TODO: win the battle over the power to navigate the web view.
             let btree' = addChild btree p p'
             atomically $ writeTVar btreeSt btree'
             refreshLayout
@@ -216,7 +217,13 @@
           Nothing -> do
             error "findPageWidget returned Nothing, can't provide a new window"
 
-  hookupWebView web newChildPage
+  -- TODO: handle this more efficiently
+  registerListener (\ (NewChildPageCommand pid url) -> do
+                          p <- findPageByView pgWidget thisWidget
+                          when ((fmap pgIdent p) == Just pid) (newChildPage url >> return ())
+                   )
+
+  hookupWebView web newChildPageDefault
 
   return ww
 
diff --git a/src/NotebookSimple.hs b/src/NotebookSimple.hs
--- a/src/NotebookSimple.hs
+++ b/src/NotebookSimple.hs
@@ -28,10 +28,10 @@
 newScrolledWindowWithViewPort :: WidgetClass child => child -> IO ScrolledWindow
 newScrolledWindowWithViewPort child = do
   sw <- scrolledWindowNew Nothing Nothing
-  scrolledWindowSetPolicy sw PolicyAutomatic PolicyAutomatic
+  scrolledWindowSetPolicy sw PolicyAlways PolicyNever
   scrolledWindowAddWithViewport sw child
   (wx,wy) <- widgetGetSizeRequest child
-  widgetSetSizeRequest sw (wx+5) (wy+5)
+  widgetSetSizeRequest sw (wx+5) (wy+40)
   return sw
 
 notebookSimpleNew :: (Page -> IO ()) -> IO NotebookSimple
@@ -40,7 +40,7 @@
   contentBox <- hBoxNew False 1
   vbox <- vBoxNew False 1
 
-  widgetSetSizeRequest buttonsBox (-1) 40
+  widgetSetSizeRequest buttonsBox (-1) 10
 
   (\sw -> boxPackStart vbox sw PackNatural 1) =<< newScrolledWindowWithViewPort buttonsBox
   boxPackStart vbox contentBox PackGrow 1
diff --git a/src/VisualBrowseTree.hs b/src/VisualBrowseTree.hs
--- a/src/VisualBrowseTree.hs
+++ b/src/VisualBrowseTree.hs
@@ -54,7 +54,7 @@
 
       btreeZip = concatMap flattenToZipper' btree' -- ellipsis t 15
       labels = unlines [ printf "d%d [URL=\"%s\", shape=polygon, fixedsize=true, fontsize=8, width=1.25, height=0.25, tooltip=\"%s\", label=\"%s\"];"
-                                i link t (ellipsis t 10) | (i,(t,link)) <- map label btreeZip ]
+                                i link t (ellipsis t 18) | (i,(t,link)) <- map label btreeZip ]
       edges = unlines [ printf "d%d -> d%d;" (fst . label . fromJust . parent $ z ) (fst . label $ z)
                             | z <- btreeZip,
                               parent z /= Nothing]
diff --git a/src/spike.hs b/src/spike.hs
--- a/src/spike.hs
+++ b/src/spike.hs
@@ -1,4 +1,3 @@
-{-# LANGUAGE PackageImports, FlexibleInstances, DoRec, ForeignFunctionInterface #-}
 module Main where
 
 import Graphics.UI.Gtk
@@ -14,6 +13,7 @@
 import Control.Concurrent
 import Control.Concurrent.STM
 import Control.Monad
+import Control.Monad.Trans (liftIO)
 
 import Data.IORef
 import Data.Maybe
@@ -74,8 +74,8 @@
  siblingsNotebookSimple <- notebookSimpleNew (\p -> do { fun <- readIORef viewPageRef; fun p}) :: IO NotebookSimple
  childrenBox <- hBoxNew False 1  :: IO HBox
 
- widgetSetSizeRequest parentsBox (-1) 40
- widgetSetSizeRequest childrenBox (-1) 40
+ widgetSetSizeRequest parentsBox (-1) 10
+ widgetSetSizeRequest childrenBox (-1) 10
 
  inside <- vBoxNew False 1
  (\sw -> boxPackStart inside sw PackNatural 1) =<< newScrolledWindowWithViewPort parentsBox
@@ -146,6 +146,27 @@
               containerChild := inside,
               windowAllowGrow := True ]
  widgetShowAll window
+
+ -- global shortcuts
+ window `on` keyPressEvent $ do
+         evM <- eventModifier
+         evN <- (keyName . keyvalToLower) `fmap` eventKeyVal
+         
+         liftIO $ print (evM, evN)
+
+         let newChildPage = liftIO $ do
+               bt <- readTVarIO btreeVar
+               cp <- readTVarIO currentPage
+               case getPageParent bt cp of
+                 Nothing -> sendCommand (NewTopLevelPageCommand "http://google.com")
+                 Just par -> sendCommand (NewChildPageCommand (pgIdent $ rootLabel par) "http://google.com")
+
+             newTopLevel = liftIO $ sendCommand (NewTopLevelPageCommand "http://google.com")
+
+         case (evM, evN) of
+           ([Control],"t") -> newChildPage >> return True
+           ([Control],"n") -> newTopLevel >> return True
+           _ -> return False
 
  -- tree view window
  visualBrowseTreeWindow viewPage btreeVar