diff --git a/app/controllers/main_controller.rb b/app/controllers/main_controller.rb
index fd44c546..a19e889b 100644
--- a/app/controllers/main_controller.rb
+++ b/app/controllers/main_controller.rb
@@ -11,7 +11,7 @@ class MainController < ApplicationController
     @maps = Map.visibleToUser(@current, nil)
 	@map = @maps.sample
 	
-	@mapjson = @map.self_as_json(@current).html_safe
+	@mapjson = @map.self_as_json(@current).html_safe if @map
 	
 	respond_to do |format|
       format.html { respond_with(@map, @user) }
diff --git a/app/controllers/sessions_controller.rb b/app/controllers/sessions_controller.rb
index 29e638ea..f463429c 100644
--- a/app/controllers/sessions_controller.rb
+++ b/app/controllers/sessions_controller.rb
@@ -23,9 +23,14 @@ class SessionsController < ApplicationController
     @user = User.new
 	
 	@connor = User.find(555629996)
-	@map = Map.find(5)
+	@map = Map.find(:first, 5)
 		
-    respond_with(@user, @session, location: user_map_url(@connor,@map)) do |format| 
+    if @map
+      respond_with(@user, @session, location: user_map_url(@connor,@map)) do |format| 
+      end
+    else
+      respond_with(@user, @session, location: root_url) do |format| 
+      end
     end
   end
   
diff --git a/app/controllers/users_controller.rb b/app/controllers/users_controller.rb
index 821e3643..cd46ebd4 100644
--- a/app/controllers/users_controller.rb
+++ b/app/controllers/users_controller.rb
@@ -40,9 +40,14 @@ class UsersController < ApplicationController
 	
 	# direct them straight to the metamaps manual map. 
 	@connor = User.find(555629996)
-	@map = Map.find(5)
+	@map = Map.find(:first, 5)
         
-    respond_with(@user, location: user_map_url(@connor,@map)) do |format|
+    if @map
+      respond_with(@user, location: user_map_url(@connor,@map)) do |format|
+      end
+    else
+      respond_with(@user, location: root_url) do |format|
+      end
     end
   end
   
diff --git a/app/views/layouts/application.html.erb b/app/views/layouts/application.html.erb
index 6fd8a97a..dc3a1260 100644
--- a/app/views/layouts/application.html.erb
+++ b/app/views/layouts/application.html.erb
@@ -65,7 +65,7 @@
 		</div>
 			
     <div class="footer">
-      <% unless Map.find(:all, 7).empty? %>
+      <% unless Map.find(:first, 7).nil? %>
         <div class="feedback"><%= link_to "Feedback", user_map_path(User.find(555629996), Map.find(7)) %></div>
       <% end %>
 	  <div class="legend">
diff --git a/config/.database.yml.swp b/config/.database.yml.swp
deleted file mode 100644
index 35515eaa..00000000
Binary files a/config/.database.yml.swp and /dev/null differ