diff --git a/ChangeLog b/ChangeLog
index bcdb7325..ac292ef3 100644
--- a/ChangeLog
+++ b/ChangeLog
@@ -1,6 +1,10 @@
 31/8/12 started 7.31.0
 - work on moving colour to vips8
 
+4/9/12 started 7.30.2
+- sequential stops all threads on error
+- sequential delays ahead threads rather than blocking them completely
+
 6/8/12 started 7.30.1
 - fixes to dzsave: shrink down to a 1x1 pixel tile, round image size up on 
   shrink, write a .dzi file with the pyramid params, default tile size and 
@@ -51,10 +55,7 @@
 - png save compression range was wrong
 - more/moreeq was wrong
 - vips7 ppm save with options was broken 
-<<<<<<< HEAD
-=======
 - don't cache write operations
->>>>>>> origin/master
 
 18/6/12 started 7.28.9
 - slightly more memory debugging output
diff --git a/TODO b/TODO
index 5ce56da5..450a4566 100644
--- a/TODO
+++ b/TODO
@@ -1,5 +1,4 @@
 colour
-======
 
 colour operations:
 
@@ -72,7 +71,6 @@ how about a base colour class with 1 in, 1 out,
 
 
 
-
 blocking bugs
 =============
 
diff --git a/libvips/conversion/embed.c b/libvips/conversion/embed.c
index e90203a9..81641b2e 100644
--- a/libvips/conversion/embed.c
+++ b/libvips/conversion/embed.c
@@ -402,12 +402,11 @@ vips_embed_build( VipsObject *object )
 		if( vips_image_copy_fields( conversion->out, embed->in ) )
 			return( -1 );
 
-		/* embed is used in many places. SMALLTILE would force most
-		 * pipelines into SMALLTILE mode, so stick with THINSTRIP,
-		 * even though SMALLTILE might be a little faster for us.
+		/* embed is used in many places. We don't really care about
+		 * geometry, so use ANY to avoid disturbing all pipelines. 
 		 */
 		vips_demand_hint( conversion->out, 
-			VIPS_DEMAND_STYLE_FATSTRIP, embed->in, NULL );
+			VIPS_DEMAND_STYLE_ANY, embed->in, NULL );
 
 		conversion->out->Xsize = embed->width;
 		conversion->out->Ysize = embed->height;
diff --git a/libvips/conversion/insert.c b/libvips/conversion/insert.c
index eb74ddb3..be73b7db 100644
--- a/libvips/conversion/insert.c
+++ b/libvips/conversion/insert.c
@@ -285,7 +285,7 @@ vips_insert_build( VipsObject *object )
 	if( vips_image_copy_fields_array( conversion->out, arry ) )
 		return( -1 );
         vips_demand_hint_array( conversion->out, 
-		VIPS_DEMAND_STYLE_SMALLTILE, arry );
+		VIPS_DEMAND_STYLE_ANY, arry );
 
 	/* Calculate geometry. 
 	 */
diff --git a/libvips/conversion/sequential.c b/libvips/conversion/sequential.c
index 09865122..1056a4f7 100644
--- a/libvips/conversion/sequential.c
+++ b/libvips/conversion/sequential.c
@@ -13,6 +13,9 @@
  * 	- remove skip forward, instead do thread stalling and have an
  * 	  integrated cache
  * 	- use linecache
+ * 4/9/12
+ * 	- stop all threads on error
+ * 	- don't stall forever, just delay ahead threads
  */
 
 /*
@@ -60,6 +63,10 @@
 
 #include "conversion.h"
 
+/* Stall threads that run ahead for this long, in seconds.
+ */
+#define STALL_TIME (0.1)
+
 typedef struct _VipsSequential {
 	VipsConversion parent_instance;
 
@@ -77,6 +84,11 @@ typedef struct _VipsSequential {
 	 * when we start.
 	 */
 	int y_pos;
+
+	/* If one thread gets an error, we must stop all threads, otherwise we
+	 * can stall and never wake.
+	 */
+	int error;
 } VipsSequential;
 
 typedef VipsConversionClass VipsSequentialClass;
@@ -109,27 +121,41 @@ vips_sequential_generate( VipsRegion *or,
 		vips_diag( "VipsSequential", 
 			"request for %d lines, starting at line %d", 
 			r->height, r->top );
-retry:
 
 	g_mutex_lock( sequential->lock );
 
 	VIPS_DEBUG_MSG( "thread %p has lock ...\n", g_thread_self() ); 
 
+	/* If we've seen an error, everything must stop.
+	 */
+	if( sequential->error ) {
+		g_mutex_unlock( sequential->lock );
+		return( -1 );
+	}
+
 	if( r->top > sequential->y_pos && 
 		sequential->y_pos > 0 ) {
+		GTimeVal time;
+
 		/* We have started reading (y_pos > 0) and this request is for 
-		 * stuff beyond that, stall.
+		 * stuff beyond that, stall for a short while to give other
+		 * threads time to catch up.
 		 */
-		VIPS_DEBUG_MSG( "thread %p stalling ...\n", g_thread_self() ); 
-		g_cond_wait( sequential->ready, sequential->lock );
-		VIPS_DEBUG_MSG( "thread %p awake again, retrying ...\n", 
+		VIPS_DEBUG_MSG( "thread %p stalling for up to %gs ...\n", 
+			STALL_TIME, g_thread_self() ); 
+		g_get_current_time( &time );
+		g_time_val_add( &time, STALL_TIME * 1000000 );
+		g_cond_timed_wait( sequential->ready, 
+			sequential->lock, &time );
+		VIPS_DEBUG_MSG( "thread %p awake again ...\n", 
 			g_thread_self() ); 
-		g_mutex_unlock( sequential->lock );
-		goto retry;
 	}
 
 	/* This is a request for something some way down the image, and we've
-	 * not read anything yet. Probably the operation is something like
+	 * either not read anything yet or fallen through from the stall
+	 * above. 
+	 *
+	 * Probably the operation is something like
 	 * extract_area and we should skip the initial part of the image. In
 	 * fact we read to cache.
 	 */
@@ -144,8 +170,14 @@ retry:
 		area.top = sequential->y_pos;
 		area.width = 1;
 		area.height = r->top - sequential->y_pos;
-		if( vips_region_prepare( ir, &area ) )
+		if( vips_region_prepare( ir, &area ) ) {
+			VIPS_DEBUG_MSG( "thread %p error, unlocking ...\n", 
+				g_thread_self() ); 
+			sequential->error = -1;
+			g_cond_broadcast( sequential->ready );
+			g_mutex_unlock( sequential->lock );
 			return( -1 );
+		}
 
 		sequential->y_pos = VIPS_RECT_BOTTOM( &area );
 	}
@@ -156,7 +188,10 @@ retry:
 	VIPS_DEBUG_MSG( "thread %p reading ...\n", g_thread_self() ); 
 	if( vips_region_prepare( ir, r ) ||
 		vips_region_region( or, ir, r, r->left, r->top ) ) {
-		VIPS_DEBUG_MSG( "thread %p unlocking ...\n", g_thread_self() ); 
+		VIPS_DEBUG_MSG( "thread %p error, unlocking ...\n", 
+			g_thread_self() ); 
+		sequential->error = -1;
+		g_cond_broadcast( sequential->ready );
 		g_mutex_unlock( sequential->lock );
 		return( -1 );
 	}
@@ -262,6 +297,7 @@ vips_sequential_init( VipsSequential *sequential )
 	sequential->lock = g_mutex_new();
 	sequential->ready = g_cond_new();
 	sequential->tile_height = 1;
+	sequential->error = 0;
 }
 
 /**
diff --git a/libvips/deprecated/im_tile_cache.c b/libvips/deprecated/im_tile_cache.c
index f5ee9c75..1fdc7b89 100644
--- a/libvips/deprecated/im_tile_cache.c
+++ b/libvips/deprecated/im_tile_cache.c
@@ -401,7 +401,7 @@ im_tile_cache( IMAGE *in, IMAGE *out,
 
 	if( im_piocheck( in, out ) ||
 		im_cp_desc( out, in ) ||
-		im_demand_hint( out, IM_SMALLTILE, in, NULL ) ||
+		im_demand_hint( out, IM_ANY, in, NULL ) ||
 		!(read = read_new( in, out, 
 			tile_width, tile_height, max_tiles )) ||
 		im_generate( out, 
diff --git a/libvips/iofuncs/generate.c b/libvips/iofuncs/generate.c
index 24f55717..3aae1068 100644
--- a/libvips/iofuncs/generate.c
+++ b/libvips/iofuncs/generate.c
@@ -325,7 +325,7 @@ vips_demand_hint_array( VipsImage *image, VipsDemandStyle hint, VipsImage **in )
 
 #ifdef DEBUG
         printf( "vips_demand_hint_array: set dhint for \"%s\" to %s\n",
-		im->filename, 
+		image->filename, 
 		vips_enum_nick( VIPS_TYPE_DEMAND_STYLE, image->dhint ) );
 	printf( "\toperation requested %s\n", 
 		vips_enum_nick( VIPS_TYPE_DEMAND_STYLE, hint ) );
diff --git a/tools/vipsthumbnail.c b/tools/vipsthumbnail.c
index 67f034c4..17e0cc0b 100644
--- a/tools/vipsthumbnail.c
+++ b/tools/vipsthumbnail.c
@@ -48,7 +48,7 @@
 
 static int thumbnail_size = 128;
 static char *output_format = "tn_%s.jpg";
-static char *interpolator = "bilinear";;
+static char *interpolator = "bilinear";
 static gboolean nosharpen = FALSE;
 static char *export_profile = NULL;
 static char *import_profile = NULL;