diff --git a/binary/binary.go b/binary/binary.go
index a613767e7..962eef98c 100644
--- a/binary/binary.go
+++ b/binary/binary.go
@@ -10,7 +10,8 @@ import (
 // TODO document and maybe make it configurable.
 const MaxBinaryReadSize = 21 * 1024 * 1024
 
-var ErrMaxBinaryReadSizeReached = errors.New("Error: max binary read size reached")
+var ErrBinaryReadSizeOverflow = errors.New("Error: binary read size overflow")
+var ErrBinaryReadSizeUnderflow = errors.New("Error: binary read size underflow")
 
 func ReadBinary(o interface{}, r io.Reader, n *int64, err *error) interface{} {
 	rv, rt := reflect.ValueOf(o), reflect.TypeOf(o)
diff --git a/binary/byteslice.go b/binary/byteslice.go
index c8b8cb2a5..b7a7550a8 100644
--- a/binary/byteslice.go
+++ b/binary/byteslice.go
@@ -2,6 +2,8 @@ package binary
 
 import (
 	"io"
+
+	. "github.com/tendermint/tendermint/common"
 )
 
 func WriteByteSlice(bz []byte, w io.Writer, n *int64, err *error) {
@@ -14,8 +16,12 @@ func ReadByteSlice(r io.Reader, n *int64, err *error) []byte {
 	if *err != nil {
 		return nil
 	}
-	if MaxBinaryReadSize < *n+int64(length) {
-		*err = ErrMaxBinaryReadSizeReached
+	if length < 0 {
+		*err = ErrBinaryReadSizeUnderflow
+		return nil
+	}
+	if MaxBinaryReadSize < MaxInt64(int64(length), *n+int64(length)) {
+		*err = ErrBinaryReadSizeOverflow
 		return nil
 	}
 
@@ -41,8 +47,12 @@ func ReadByteSlices(r io.Reader, n *int64, err *error) [][]byte {
 	if *err != nil {
 		return nil
 	}
-	if MaxBinaryReadSize < *n+int64(length) {
-		*err = ErrMaxBinaryReadSizeReached
+	if length < 0 {
+		*err = ErrBinaryReadSizeUnderflow
+		return nil
+	}
+	if MaxBinaryReadSize < MaxInt64(int64(length), *n+int64(length)) {
+		*err = ErrBinaryReadSizeOverflow
 		return nil
 	}
 
diff --git a/binary/reflect.go b/binary/reflect.go
index 55e60d239..3aea034e3 100644
--- a/binary/reflect.go
+++ b/binary/reflect.go
@@ -274,7 +274,7 @@ func readReflectBinary(rv reflect.Value, rt reflect.Type, opts Options, r io.Rea
 						return
 					}
 					if MaxBinaryReadSize < *n {
-						*err = ErrMaxBinaryReadSizeReached
+						*err = ErrBinaryReadSizeOverflow
 						return
 					}
 				}
diff --git a/binary/reflect_test.go b/binary/reflect_test.go
index 8d1b03861..e24e3540d 100644
--- a/binary/reflect_test.go
+++ b/binary/reflect_test.go
@@ -456,7 +456,7 @@ func TestJSONFieldNames(t *testing.T) {
 func TestBadAlloc(t *testing.T) {
 	n, err := new(int64), new(error)
 	instance := new([]byte)
-	data := RandBytes(ByteSliceChunk * 100)
+	data := RandBytes(100 * 1024)
 	b := new(bytes.Buffer)
 	// this slice of data claims to be much bigger than it really is
 	WriteUvarint(uint(10000000000000000), b, n, err)
diff --git a/binary/string.go b/binary/string.go
index d05744b04..f08633a04 100644
--- a/binary/string.go
+++ b/binary/string.go
@@ -1,6 +1,10 @@
 package binary
 
-import "io"
+import (
+	"io"
+
+	. "github.com/tendermint/tendermint/common"
+)
 
 // String
 
@@ -14,8 +18,12 @@ func ReadString(r io.Reader, n *int64, err *error) string {
 	if *err != nil {
 		return ""
 	}
-	if MaxBinaryReadSize < *n+int64(length) {
-		*err = ErrMaxBinaryReadSizeReached
+	if length < 0 {
+		*err = ErrBinaryReadSizeUnderflow
+		return ""
+	}
+	if MaxBinaryReadSize < MaxInt64(int64(length), *n+int64(length)) {
+		*err = ErrBinaryReadSizeOverflow
 		return ""
 	}
 
diff --git a/merkle/iavl_proof.go b/merkle/iavl_proof.go
index 4d1b11ab9..0541aa738 100644
--- a/merkle/iavl_proof.go
+++ b/merkle/iavl_proof.go
@@ -3,7 +3,6 @@ package merkle
 import (
 	"bytes"
 	"crypto/sha256"
-
 	"github.com/tendermint/tendermint/binary"
 	. "github.com/tendermint/tendermint/common"
 )
@@ -47,7 +46,7 @@ func (branch IAVLProofInnerNode) Hash(childHash []byte) []byte {
 	n, err := int64(0), error(nil)
 	binary.WriteInt8(branch.Height, buf, &n, &err)
 	binary.WriteVarint(branch.Size, buf, &n, &err)
-	if branch.Left == nil {
+	if len(branch.Left) == 0 {
 		binary.WriteByteSlice(childHash, buf, &n, &err)
 		binary.WriteByteSlice(branch.Right, buf, &n, &err)
 	} else {
diff --git a/merkle/iavl_test.go b/merkle/iavl_test.go
index ae3747736..b0f5d9bf9 100644
--- a/merkle/iavl_test.go
+++ b/merkle/iavl_test.go
@@ -253,6 +253,7 @@ func testProof(t *testing.T, proof *IAVLProof, keyBytes, valueBytes, rootHash []
 		return
 	}
 	if !proof2.Verify(keyBytes, valueBytes, rootHash) {
+		// t.Log(Fmt("%X\n%X\n", proofBytes, binary.BinaryBytes(proof2)))
 		t.Errorf("Invalid proof after write/read. Verification failed.")
 		return
 	}
diff --git a/p2p/connection.go b/p2p/connection.go
index a8021c777..c08956035 100644
--- a/p2p/connection.go
+++ b/p2p/connection.go
@@ -579,7 +579,7 @@ func (ch *Channel) writeMsgPacketTo(w io.Writer) (n int64, err error) {
 func (ch *Channel) recvMsgPacket(packet msgPacket) ([]byte, error) {
 	log.Debug("Read Msg Packet", "conn", ch.conn, "packet", packet)
 	if binary.MaxBinaryReadSize < len(ch.recving)+len(packet.Bytes) {
-		return nil, binary.ErrMaxBinaryReadSizeReached
+		return nil, binary.ErrBinaryReadSizeOverflow
 	}
 	ch.recving = append(ch.recving, packet.Bytes...)
 	if packet.EOF == byte(0x01) {
diff --git a/scripts/README.md b/scripts/README.md
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..186241178
--- /dev/null
+++ b/scripts/README.md
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+* http://redsymbol.net/articles/unofficial-bash-strict-mode/