diff --git a/TODO b/TODO
index 40c1ca70..88b621f3 100644
--- a/TODO
+++ b/TODO
@@ -1,3 +1,20 @@
+- seq no longer stalls ahead threads ... instead, we rely on sinkdisk 
+  interlocks to limit how far ahead or behind threads can get
+
+  reexamine cache sizing ... are they too large?
+
+  is thumbnail thinstrip or fatstrip? how does that affect seq cache sizing?
+
+  add something to linecache (and tilecache?) to get it to display cache size
+
+  sinkdisk could use a smaller wbuffer for thinstrip .. thinstrip * nthreads high
+  ... this would reduce the size of the input caches we need during shrink
+
+  same for fatstrip ... would it be less than tile-height? 
+
+
+
+
 - vips linecache has access there twice!
 
 	 $ vips linecache
diff --git a/libvips/conversion/tilecache.c b/libvips/conversion/tilecache.c
index e280961e..14808159 100644
--- a/libvips/conversion/tilecache.c
+++ b/libvips/conversion/tilecache.c
@@ -382,7 +382,7 @@ vips_block_cache_build( VipsObject *object )
 		build( object ) )
 		return( -1 );
 
-	g_info( "vips_block_cache_build: max size = %g MB",
+	VIPS_DEBUG_MSG( "vips_block_cache_build: max size = %g MB\n",
 		(cache->max_tiles * cache->tile_width * cache->tile_height *
 		 	VIPS_IMAGE_SIZEOF_PEL( cache->in )) / (1024 * 1024.0) );
 
diff --git a/libvips/iofuncs/sink.c b/libvips/iofuncs/sink.c
index 14371ee3..e950ffdf 100644
--- a/libvips/iofuncs/sink.c
+++ b/libvips/iofuncs/sink.c
@@ -200,9 +200,6 @@ sink_free( Sink *sink )
 void
 vips_sink_base_init( SinkBase *sink_base, VipsImage *image )
 {
-	int tiles_across;
-	int tiles_down;
-
 	/* Always clear kill before we start looping. See the 
 	 * call to vips_image_iskilled() below.
 	 */
@@ -211,42 +208,12 @@ vips_sink_base_init( SinkBase *sink_base, VipsImage *image )
 	sink_base->im = image;
 	sink_base->x = 0;
 	sink_base->y = 0;
-	sink_base->processed = 0;
 
 	vips_get_tile_size( image, 
 		&sink_base->tile_width, &sink_base->tile_height, 
 		&sink_base->nlines );
 
-	/* vips_get_tile_size() is very conservative about setting nlines. We
-	 * know that we are the final element in the pipeline, so we can be
-	 * much tighter.
-	 */
-
-	/* Number of tiles we need across to fill the image width. This will be
-	 * 1 for fat/thin strip.
-	 */
-	tiles_across = 
-		VIPS_ROUND_UP( image->Xsize, sink_base->tile_width ) / 
-		sink_base->tile_width;
-
-	/* Number of rows of tiles we need to have at least 1 tile per thread.
-	 */
-	tiles_down = 
-		VIPS_ROUND_UP( vips_concurrency_get(), tiles_across ) / 
-		tiles_across; 
-
-	/* Therefore the number of scanlines to have at least one tile per
-	 * thread in a buffer.
-	 */
-	sink_base->nlines = tiles_down * sink_base->tile_height;
-
-	g_info( _( "%s %s: %d x %d pixels, %d threads, %d x %d tiles, "
-		"%d lines in buffer" ),
-		g_get_prgname(), image->filename,
-		image->Xsize, image->Ysize,
-		vips_concurrency_get(),
-		sink_base->tile_width, sink_base->tile_height, 
-		sink_base->nlines );
+	sink_base->processed = 0;
 }
 
 static int
diff --git a/libvips/iofuncs/sinkdisc.c b/libvips/iofuncs/sinkdisc.c
index 36483ae3..30f2134b 100644
--- a/libvips/iofuncs/sinkdisc.c
+++ b/libvips/iofuncs/sinkdisc.c
@@ -238,11 +238,6 @@ wbuffer_new( Write *write )
 		return( NULL );
 	}
 
-	g_info( "wbuffer_new: %g MB",
-		(write->sink_base.nlines * 
-		 	VIPS_IMAGE_SIZEOF_LINE( write->sink_base.im )) /
-		(1024 * 1024.0) );
-
 	return( wbuffer );
 }