diff --git a/sass/courseware/_amplifier.scss b/sass/courseware/_amplifier.scss
index 963fdfd0cb..71af349d20 100644
--- a/sass/courseware/_amplifier.scss
+++ b/sass/courseware/_amplifier.scss
@@ -16,21 +16,21 @@ div#graph-container {
 
     select#musicTypeSelect {
       display: block;
-      margin-bottom: lh(2);
+      margin-bottom: lh();
     }
 
     div#graph-output {
       display: block;
-      margin-bottom: lh(2);
+      margin-bottom: lh();
     }
 
     div#graph-listen {
       display: block;
-      margin-bottom: lh(2);
+      margin-bottom: lh();
     }
 
     p {
-      margin-bottom: lh(1);
+      margin-bottom: lh(.5);
     }
 
     div#label {
diff --git a/sass/courseware/_courseware.scss b/sass/courseware/_courseware.scss
index c5811bd993..b36f17f165 100644
--- a/sass/courseware/_courseware.scss
+++ b/sass/courseware/_courseware.scss
@@ -182,6 +182,25 @@ div.course-wrapper {
       line-height: lh();
       font-family: Consolas, "Lucida Console", Monaco, "Courier New", Courier, monospace;
     }
+
+    div.ui-slider {
+      border: 1px solid #aaa;
+      background: #ddd;
+      @include box-shadow(inset 0 1px 0 #eee);
+      @include border-radius(0);
+
+      a.ui-slider-handle {
+        @include box-shadow(inset 0 1px 0 lighten($mit-red, 10%));
+        background: $mit-red url(/static/images/slider-bars.png) center center no-repeat;
+        border: 1px solid darken($mit-red, 20%);
+        cursor: pointer;
+
+        &:hover, &:focus {
+          background-color: lighten($mit-red, 10%);
+          outline: none;
+        }
+      }
+    }
   }
 
   &.closed {
diff --git a/sass/courseware/_video.scss b/sass/courseware/_video.scss
index b1cf792caf..4402e968ad 100644
--- a/sass/courseware/_video.scss
+++ b/sass/courseware/_video.scss
@@ -71,7 +71,6 @@ section.course-content {
             @include border-radius(20px);
             @include box-shadow(inset 0 1px 0 lighten($mit-red, 10%));
             background: $mit-red url(/static/images/slider-handle.png) center center no-repeat;
-            border: 0;
             border: 1px solid darken($mit-red, 20%);
             cursor: pointer;
             height: 20px;
@@ -79,7 +78,8 @@ section.course-content {
             top: -4px;
             width: 20px;
 
-            &:focus {
+            &:focus, &:hover {
+              background-color: lighten($mit-red, 10%);
               outline: none;
             }
           }
diff --git a/video_init.js b/video_init.js
index adf0187ea9..dc94763be3 100644
--- a/video_init.js
+++ b/video_init.js
@@ -65,17 +65,26 @@ l.sort(sort_by_value);
 
 $(document).ready(function() {
     video_speed = $.cookie("video_speed");
-    console.log("ready");
-    console.log(video_speed);
 
-    if (( !video_speed ) || ( !streams[video_speed] )) {
-	video_speed = "1.0";
+    //ugly hack to account for different formats in vid speed in the XML (.75 vs 0.75, 1.5 vs 1.50);
+    if (( !video_speed ) || ( !streams[video_speed] && !streams[video_speed + "0"]) && !streams[video_speed.slice(0,-1)] && !streams[video_speed.slice(1)] && !streams["0" + video_speed]) {
+      video_speed = "1.0";
     }
-    console.log(video_speed);
+
+    if (streams[video_speed + "0"]){
+      video_speed = video_speed + "0";
+    } else if (streams[video_speed.slice(0, -1)]){
+      video_speed = video_speed.slice(0, -1);
+    } else if (streams[video_speed.slice(1)]) {
+      video_speed = video_speed.slice(1);
+    } else if (streams["0" + video_speed]) {
+      video_speed = "0" + video_speed;
+    }
+
     loadNewVideo(streams["1.0"], streams[video_speed], ${ position });
 
     for(var i=0; i<l.length; i++) {
-	add_speed(l[i], streams[l[i]])
+      add_speed(l[i], streams[l[i]])
     }
 
 });