diff --git a/db.go b/db.go
index 16880aa..f3a49f8 100644
--- a/db.go
+++ b/db.go
@@ -1,17 +1,19 @@
 package main
 
-import "log"
+import log "github.com/sirupsen/logrus"
 import "io/ioutil"
 import "github.com/dgraph-io/badger"
+import "github.com/spf13/afero"
+import "github.com/go-redis/redis"
 
 // SteemDataStore is the object with which the rest of this tool interacts
 type SteemDataStore struct {
-	kv KeyValueStorer
+	kv KVStorer
 }
 
 func NewSteemDataStore(dir string) *SteemDataStore {
 	self := new(SteemDataStore)
-	self.kv = NewBadgerKeyValueStore(dir)
+	self.kv = NewRedisKVStore()
 	return self
 }
 
@@ -23,27 +25,76 @@ func (self *SteemDataStore) StoreBlockOps(blockNum int, blockOps []byte) {
 // SteemDataStore
 // it could be fs, badgerdb, whatever
 
-type KeyValueStorer interface {
+type KVStorer interface {
 	Open(string)
 	Get(*string) (*string, error)
 	Put(*string, *string) error
 	Close()
 }
 
-// BadgerKeyValueStore is an object that conforms to KeyValueStorer for use
+type RedisKVStore struct {
+	rc *redis.Client
+}
+
+func NewRedisKVStore() *RedisKVStore {
+	rkvs := new(RedisKVStore)
+	rkvs.Open("localhost:6379") //FIXME(sneak) use viper
+	return rkvs
+}
+
+func (self *RedisKVStore) Get(keyname *string) (*string, error) {
+	val, err := self.rc.Get(*keyname).Result()
+	if err != nil {
+		panic("unable to fetch key from redis")
+		//FIXME(sneak) we should probably distinguish between key not
+		//existing and fetch error
+	}
+	return &val, nil
+}
+
+func (self *RedisKVStore) Put(keyname *string, value *string) error {
+	err := self.rc.Set(*keyname, *value, 0).Err()
+	if err != nil {
+		panic("unable to write to redis")
+	}
+	return nil
+}
+
+func (self *RedisKVStore) Close() {
+	self.rc.Close()
+}
+
+func (self *RedisKVStore) Open(hostname string) {
+	self.rc = redis.NewClient(&redis.Options{
+		Addr:     hostname,
+		Password: "", // no password set
+		DB:       0,  // use default DB
+	})
+
+	_, err := self.rc.Ping().Result()
+	if err != nil {
+		panic(err)
+	}
+}
+
+type AferoFSKVStore struct {
+	fs *afero.Fs
+}
+
+// BadgerKVStore is an object that conforms to KeyValueStorer for use
 // by SteemDataStore to persist Steem data
 
-type BadgerKeyValueStore struct {
+type BadgerKVStore struct {
 	db *badger.DB
 }
 
-func NewBadgerKeyValueStore(dir string) *BadgerKeyValueStore {
-	kv := new(BadgerKeyValueStore)
+func NewBadgerKVStore(dir string) *BadgerKVStore {
+	kv := new(BadgerKVStore)
 	kv.Open(dir)
 	return kv
 }
 
-func (kv *BadgerKeyValueStore) Open(dir string) {
+func (kv *BadgerKVStore) Open(dir string) {
 	dir, err := ioutil.TempDir("", "badger")
 	if err != nil {
 		log.Fatal(err)
@@ -58,11 +109,11 @@ func (kv *BadgerKeyValueStore) Open(dir string) {
 	}
 }
 
-func (kv *BadgerKeyValueStore) Close() {
+func (kv *BadgerKVStore) Close() {
 	kv.db.Close()
 }
 
-func (kv *BadgerKeyValueStore) Put(key *string, value *string) error {
+func (kv *BadgerKVStore) Put(key *string, value *string) error {
 	txn := kv.db.NewTransaction(true) // Read-write txn
 	err := txn.Set([]byte(*key), []byte(*value))
 	if err != nil {
@@ -75,8 +126,8 @@ func (kv *BadgerKeyValueStore) Put(key *string, value *string) error {
 	return nil
 }
 
-func (kv *BadgerKeyValueStore) Get(key *string) (*string, error) {
-	txn := kv.db.NewTransaction(true) // Read-write txn
+func (kv *BadgerKVStore) Get(key *string) (*string, error) {
+	txn := kv.db.NewTransaction(false)
 	item, err := txn.Get([]byte(*key))
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, err
diff --git a/main.go b/main.go
index cca809b..387bcaa 100644
--- a/main.go
+++ b/main.go
@@ -1,37 +1,116 @@
 package main
 
-import (
-	"encoding/json"
-	"fmt"
-	log "github.com/sirupsen/logrus"
-	"github.com/spf13/afero"
-)
+//import "github.com/spf13/viper"
+//import "encoding/json"
+//import "fmt"
+import "sync"
+import "time"
+import log "github.com/sirupsen/logrus"
 
 const steemAPIURL = "https://api.steemit.com"
 
 func main() {
-	log.SetLevel(log.DebugLevel)
-
-	var fs = afero.NewBasePathFs(afero.NewOsFs(), "./d")
-	var s = NewSteemAPI(steemAPIURL)
-	var state = NewSteemDataStore("./d")
-
-	var endBlock = *currentBlockHeight(s)
-
-	var startBlock = 1
-
-	fetchBlockRange(s, state, startBlock, endBlock)
+	processinit()
+	app := NewApp(&appconfig{})
+	app.main()
 }
 
-func fetchBlockRange(s *SteemAPI, fs afero.Fs, startBlock int, endBlock int) *error {
+func processinit() {
+	//FIXME(sneak) use viper to set loglevel
+	log.SetLevel(log.DebugLevel)
+}
+
+type App struct {
+	datastore                 *SteemDataStore
+	api                       *SteemAPI
+	currentNetworkBlockHeight int
+	currentLocalBlockHeight   int
+	currentFetchingThreads    int
+	desiredFetchingThreads    int
+	lock                      *sync.Mutex
+}
+
+type appconfig map[string]string
+
+func NewApp(config *appconfig) *App {
+	self := new(App)
+	self.init(config)
+	return self
+}
+
+func (self *App) init(config *appconfig) {
+	self.api = NewSteemAPI(steemAPIURL)
+	self.datastore = NewSteemDataStore("./d")
+	self.desiredFetchingThreads = 10
+	self.currentFetchingThreads = 0
+	self.lock = &sync.Mutex{}
+}
+
+func (self *App) updateCurrentBlockHeight() {
+	h := self.fetchCurrentBlockHeight()
+	if h > self.currentNetworkBlockHeight {
+		self.lock.Lock()
+		defer self.lock.Unlock()
+		self.currentNetworkBlockHeight = h
+		log.Infof("current block height is now %d", self.currentNetworkBlockHeight)
+	}
+}
+
+func (self *App) main() {
+	log.Infof("steem block data fetcher starting up...")
+	self.mainloop()
+}
+
+func (self *App) numFetchers() int {
+	self.lock.Lock()
+	defer self.lock.Unlock()
+	return self.currentFetchingThreads
+}
+
+func (self *App) incrFetchers() {
+	self.lock.Lock()
+	defer self.lock.Unlock()
+	self.currentFetchingThreads += 1
+}
+
+func (self *App) decrFetchers() {
+	self.lock.Lock()
+	defer self.lock.Unlock()
+	self.currentFetchingThreads -= 1
+}
+
+func (self *App) spawnNewFetcher(blockNum int) {
+	self.incrFetchers()
+}
+
+func (self *App) mainloop() {
+	for {
+		self.updateCurrentBlockHeight()
+		time.Sleep(1 * time.Second)
+	}
+}
+
+func (self *App) fetchCurrentBlockHeight() int {
+	r, err := self.api.GetDynamicGlobalProperties()
+	if err != nil {
+		panic("can't fetch global properties, bailing")
+	}
+	if r.LastIrreversibleBlockNum < 100 {
+		panic("can't fetch global properties, bailing")
+	}
+	return r.LastIrreversibleBlockNum
+}
+
+func fetchBlockRange(s *SteemAPI, state *SteemDataStore, startBlock int, endBlock int) *error {
 	log.Debugf("fetching block range %d to %d inclusive", startBlock, endBlock)
 	for i := startBlock; i <= endBlock; i++ {
-		fetchSingleBlock(s, fs, i)
+		//fetchSingleBlock(s, fs, i)
 	}
 	return nil
 }
 
-func fetchSingleBlock(s *SteemAPI, fs afero.Fs, blockNum int) {
+/*
+func (self *App) fetchSingleBlockOps(blockNum int) (*byte[]) {
 	tmpName := fmt.Sprintf("/blockOps/%d.json.tmp", blockNum)
 	realName := fmt.Sprintf("/blockOps/%d.json", blockNum)
 
@@ -59,32 +138,4 @@ func fetchSingleBlock(s *SteemAPI, fs afero.Fs, blockNum int) {
 	}
 	fs.Rename(tmpName, realName)
 }
-
-func nope() {
-
-	//r2, err := s.GetOpsInBlock(20000000)
-
-	//if err != nil {
-	//	log.Fatal(err)
-	//}
-
-	//spew.Dump(r)
-
-	//bytes, err := json.Marshal(r2)
-
-	//if err != nil {
-	//		fmt.Println(err)
-	//	}
-	//	fmt.Println(string(bytes))
-}
-
-func currentBlockHeight(s *SteemAPI) *int {
-	r, err := s.GetDynamicGlobalProperties()
-	if err != nil {
-		return nil
-	}
-	if r.LastIrreversibleBlockNum > 0 {
-		return &r.LastIrreversibleBlockNum
-	}
-	return nil
-}
+*/