diff --git a/src/java/com/samskivert/jdbc/jora/Table.java b/src/java/com/samskivert/jdbc/jora/Table.java
index d3d1b594..9053122b 100644
--- a/src/java/com/samskivert/jdbc/jora/Table.java
+++ b/src/java/com/samskivert/jdbc/jora/Table.java
@@ -448,7 +448,7 @@ public class Table<T>
         fMask = new FieldMask(fields);
 
         try {
-            constructor = _rowClass.getDeclaredConstructor(new Class[0]);
+            constructor = _rowClass.getDeclaredConstructor(new Class<?>[0]);
             setBypass.invoke(constructor, bypassFlag);
         } catch(Exception ex) {}
 
@@ -571,7 +571,7 @@ public class Table<T>
 
                     try {
                         fd.constructor =
-                            fieldClass.getDeclaredConstructor(new Class[0]);
+                            fieldClass.getDeclaredConstructor(new Class<?>[0]);
                         setBypass.invoke(fd.constructor, bypassFlag);
                     } catch(Exception ex) {}
 
diff --git a/src/java/com/samskivert/swing/TableSorter.java b/src/java/com/samskivert/swing/TableSorter.java
index 931cae52..076504fb 100644
--- a/src/java/com/samskivert/swing/TableSorter.java
+++ b/src/java/com/samskivert/swing/TableSorter.java
@@ -236,9 +236,10 @@ public class TableSorter extends AbstractTableModel {
             return comparator;
         }
         if (Comparable.class.isAssignableFrom(columnType)) {
-            @SuppressWarnings("unchecked")
-            Comparator<Object> c = Comparators.COMPARABLE;
-            return c;
+            // this is messy, but reflection and generics don't play nice
+            Comparator<?> c = Comparators.COMPARABLE;
+            @SuppressWarnings("unchecked") Comparator<Object> co = (Comparator<Object>)c;
+            return co;
         }
         return Comparators.LEXICAL_CASE_INSENSITIVE;
     }
diff --git a/src/java/com/samskivert/swing/util/TaskMaster.java b/src/java/com/samskivert/swing/util/TaskMaster.java
index 9772f0e7..8f8dbfff 100644
--- a/src/java/com/samskivert/swing/util/TaskMaster.java
+++ b/src/java/com/samskivert/swing/util/TaskMaster.java
@@ -169,7 +169,7 @@ public class TaskMaster
         public Object invoke () throws Exception
         {
             // look up the named method on the source object and invoke it
-            Method meth = _source.getClass().getMethod(_name, (Class[]) null);
+            Method meth = _source.getClass().getMethod(_name, (Class<?>[]) null);
             meth.setAccessible(true);
             return meth.invoke(_source, (Object[]) null);
         }
diff --git a/src/java/com/samskivert/util/ClassUtil.java b/src/java/com/samskivert/util/ClassUtil.java
index a00b36dd..6d898c80 100644
--- a/src/java/com/samskivert/util/ClassUtil.java
+++ b/src/java/com/samskivert/util/ClassUtil.java
@@ -104,7 +104,7 @@ public class ClassUtil
     {
         Class<?>[] argTypes = null;
         if (args != null) {
-            argTypes = new Class[args.length];
+            argTypes = new Class<?>[args.length];
             for (int i = 0; i < args.length; ++i) {
                 argTypes[i] = (args[i] == null) ? Void.TYPE : args[i].getClass();
             }
diff --git a/src/java/com/samskivert/util/Comparators.java b/src/java/com/samskivert/util/Comparators.java
index 624e1583..3caef8cf 100644
--- a/src/java/com/samskivert/util/Comparators.java
+++ b/src/java/com/samskivert/util/Comparators.java
@@ -47,11 +47,11 @@ public class Comparators
     };
 
     /**
-     * A comparator that compares {@link Comparable} instances.
+     * A comparator that compares {@link Comparable<Object>} instances.
      */
-    @SuppressWarnings("unchecked")
-    public static final Comparator COMPARABLE = new Comparator() {
-        public int compare (Object o1, Object o2)
+    public static final Comparator<Comparable<Object>> COMPARABLE =
+        new Comparator<Comparable<Object>>() {
+        public int compare (Comparable<Object> o1, Comparable<Object> o2)
         {
             if (o1 == o2) { // catches null == null
                 return 0;
@@ -60,7 +60,7 @@ public class Comparators
             } else if (o2 == null) {
                 return -1;
             }
-            return ((Comparable)o1).compareTo(o2); // null-free
+            return o1.compareTo(o2); // null-free
         }
     };
 
@@ -72,10 +72,12 @@ public class Comparators
      *    Comparator&lt;Integer&gt; = Comparators.comparable();
      * </pre>
      */
-    @SuppressWarnings("unchecked")
-    public static final <T extends Comparable> Comparator<T> comparable ()
+    // we can't do the "more correct" <T extends Comparable<? super T>> here as that causes other
+    // code to freak out; I don't entirely understand why
+    public static final <T extends Comparable<?>> Comparator<T> comparable ()
     {
-        return COMPARABLE;
+        @SuppressWarnings("unchecked") Comparator<T> comp = (Comparator<T>)COMPARABLE;
+        return comp;
     }
 
     /**
diff --git a/src/java/com/samskivert/util/CountHashMap.java b/src/java/com/samskivert/util/CountHashMap.java
index fb4cb210..db3199b9 100644
--- a/src/java/com/samskivert/util/CountHashMap.java
+++ b/src/java/com/samskivert/util/CountHashMap.java
@@ -125,12 +125,13 @@ public class CountHashMap<K> extends HashMap<K, int[]>
     }
 
     @Override
-    @SuppressWarnings("unchecked")
     public Set<Map.Entry<K, int[]>> entrySet ()
     {
         // a giant mess of hoop-jumpery so that we can convert each Map.Entry returned by the
         // iterator to be a CountEntryImpl
-        return new CountEntrySet(super.entrySet());
+        Set<?> eset = new CountEntrySet<K>(super.entrySet());
+        @SuppressWarnings("unchecked") Set<Map.Entry<K, int[]>> r = (Set<Map.Entry<K, int[]>>)eset;
+        return r;
     }
 
     /**
diff --git a/src/java/com/samskivert/util/HashIntMap.java b/src/java/com/samskivert/util/HashIntMap.java
index c685c99b..cae9f288 100644
--- a/src/java/com/samskivert/util/HashIntMap.java
+++ b/src/java/com/samskivert/util/HashIntMap.java
@@ -517,7 +517,7 @@ public class HashIntMap<V> extends AbstractMap<Integer,V>
 
     protected Record<V>[] createBuckets (int size)
     {
-        @SuppressWarnings("unchecked") Record<V>[] recs = new Record[size];
+        @SuppressWarnings("unchecked") Record<V>[] recs = (Record<V>[])new Record<?>[size];
         return recs;
     }
 
diff --git a/src/java/com/samskivert/util/MethodFinder.java b/src/java/com/samskivert/util/MethodFinder.java
index 84c86103..d9d0fb67 100644
--- a/src/java/com/samskivert/util/MethodFinder.java
+++ b/src/java/com/samskivert/util/MethodFinder.java
@@ -99,7 +99,7 @@ public class MethodFinder
         maybeLoadConstructors();
 
         if (parameterTypes == null) {
-            parameterTypes = new Class[0];
+            parameterTypes = new Class<?>[0];
         }
 
         return (Constructor<?>)findMemberIn(_ctorList, parameterTypes);
@@ -135,7 +135,7 @@ public class MethodFinder
         }
 
         if (parameterTypes == null) {
-            parameterTypes = new Class[0];
+            parameterTypes = new Class<?>[0];
         }
 
         return (Method)findMemberIn(methodList, parameterTypes);
diff --git a/src/java/com/samskivert/util/StringUtil.java b/src/java/com/samskivert/util/StringUtil.java
index 4e885b35..34f4ca34 100644
--- a/src/java/com/samskivert/util/StringUtil.java
+++ b/src/java/com/samskivert/util/StringUtil.java
@@ -707,7 +707,7 @@ public class StringUtil
             buf.append(fields[i].getName()).append("=");
             try {
                 try {
-                    Method meth = clazz.getMethod(fields[i].getName() + "ToString", new Class[0]);
+                    Method meth = clazz.getMethod(fields[i].getName() + "ToString", new Class<?>[0]);
                     buf.append(meth.invoke(object, (Object[]) null));
                 } catch (NoSuchMethodException nsme) {
                     toString(buf, fields[i].get(object));
diff --git a/src/java/com/samskivert/velocity/DispatcherServlet.java b/src/java/com/samskivert/velocity/DispatcherServlet.java
index feea627b..1f85322c 100644
--- a/src/java/com/samskivert/velocity/DispatcherServlet.java
+++ b/src/java/com/samskivert/velocity/DispatcherServlet.java
@@ -418,6 +418,7 @@ public class DispatcherServlet extends HttpServlet
     /**
      * Called when a method throws an exception during template evaluation.
      */
+    @Override @SuppressWarnings("rawtypes") // our super class declares a bare Class
     public Object methodException (Class clazz, String method, Exception e)
         throws Exception
     {