diff --git a/app/assets/javascripts/src/Metamaps.GlobalUI.js.erb b/app/assets/javascripts/src/Metamaps.GlobalUI.js.erb
index 1e48af33..2e17ffae 100644
--- a/app/assets/javascripts/src/Metamaps.GlobalUI.js.erb
+++ b/app/assets/javascripts/src/Metamaps.GlobalUI.js.erb
@@ -499,7 +499,7 @@ Metamaps.GlobalUI.Search = {
                 remote: {
                     url: '/search/topics',
                     prepare: function(query, settings) {
-                        settings.url += '?term=' + $('.sidebarSearchField').val();
+                        settings.url += '?term=' + query;
                         if (Metamaps.Active.Mapper && $("#limitTopicsToMe").is(':checked')) {
                             settings.url += "&user=" + Metamaps.Active.Mapper.id.toString();
                         }
@@ -532,7 +532,7 @@ Metamaps.GlobalUI.Search = {
                 remote: {
                     url: '/search/maps',
                     prepare: function(query, settings) {
-                        settings.url += '?term=' + $('.sidebarSearchField').val();
+                        settings.url += '?term=' + query;
                         if (Metamaps.Active.Mapper && $("#limitMapsToMe").is(':checked')) {
                             settings.url += "&user=" + Metamaps.Active.Mapper.id.toString();
                         }
@@ -564,7 +564,7 @@ Metamaps.GlobalUI.Search = {
                 datumTokenizer: Bloodhound.tokenizers.obj.whitespace('value'),
                 queryTokenizer: Bloodhound.tokenizers.whitespace,
                 remote: {
-                    url: '/search/maps?term=%QUERY',
+                    url: '/search/mappers?term=%QUERY',
                     wildcard: '%QUERY',
                 },
             }),
diff --git a/app/controllers/main_controller.rb b/app/controllers/main_controller.rb
index c5535276..1cd0f577 100644
--- a/app/controllers/main_controller.rb
+++ b/app/controllers/main_controller.rb
@@ -26,8 +26,6 @@ class MainController < ApplicationController
   
   # get /search/topics?term=SOMETERM
   def searchtopics
-    @current = current_user
-    
     term = params[:term]
     user = params[:user] ? params[:user] : false
     
@@ -122,15 +120,13 @@ class MainController < ApplicationController
     end
     
     #read this next line as 'delete a topic if its private and you're either 1. logged out or 2. logged in but not the topic creator
-    @topics.to_a.delete_if {|t| t.permission == "private" && (!authenticated? || (authenticated? && @current.id != t.user_id)) }
+    @topics.to_a.delete_if {|t| t.permission == "private" && (!authenticated? || (authenticated? && current_user.id != t.user_id)) }
     
     render json: autocomplete_array_json(@topics)
   end
   
   # get /search/maps?term=SOMETERM
   def searchmaps
-    @current = current_user
-    
     term = params[:term]
     user = params[:user] ? params[:user] : nil
     
@@ -158,15 +154,13 @@ class MainController < ApplicationController
     end
     
     #read this next line as 'delete a map if its private and you're either 1. logged out or 2. logged in but not the map creator
-    @maps.to_a.delete_if {|m| m.permission == "private" && (!authenticated? || (authenticated? && @current.id != m.user_id)) }
+    @maps.to_a.delete_if {|m| m.permission == "private" && (!authenticated? || (authenticated? && current_user.id != m.user_id)) }
     
     render json: autocomplete_map_array_json(@maps)
   end
   
   # get /search/mappers?term=SOMETERM
   def searchmappers
-    @current = current_user
-    
     term = params[:term]
     if term && !term.empty?  && term.downcase[0..3] != "map:" && term.downcase[0..5] != "topic:" && term.downcase != "mapper:"
     
@@ -182,8 +176,6 @@ class MainController < ApplicationController
   # get /search/synapses?term=SOMETERM OR
   # get /search/synapses?topic1id=SOMEID&topic2id=SOMEID
   def searchsynapses
-    @current = current_user
-    
     term = params[:term]
     topic1id = params[:topic1id]
     topic2id = params[:topic2id]
@@ -214,7 +206,7 @@ class MainController < ApplicationController
       
       #permissions
       @synapses.delete_if {|s| s.permission == "private" && !authenticated? }
-      @synapses.delete_if {|s| s.permission == "private" && authenticated? && @current.id != s.user_id }
+      @synapses.delete_if {|s| s.permission == "private" && authenticated? && current_user.id != s.user_id }
     else
       @synapses = []
     end
diff --git a/app/helpers/maps_helper.rb b/app/helpers/maps_helper.rb
index 6b3dd7b0..169ee4b9 100644
--- a/app/helpers/maps_helper.rb
+++ b/app/helpers/maps_helper.rb
@@ -16,7 +16,7 @@ module MapsHelper
       map['rtype'] = "map"
       
       contributorTip = ''
-      firstContributorImage = asset_path('user.png')
+      firstContributorImage = 'https://s3.amazonaws.com/metamaps-assets/site/user.png'
       if m.contributors.count > 0 
         firstContributorImage = m.contributors[0].image.url(:thirtytwo)
         m.contributors.each_with_index do |c, index|