diff --git a/chapter_18/03_creating_object_from_a_text_file.rb b/chapter_18/03_creating_object_from_a_text_file.rb
index 0607e20..a6b6ecd 100644
--- a/chapter_18/03_creating_object_from_a_text_file.rb
+++ b/chapter_18/03_creating_object_from_a_text_file.rb
@@ -32,25 +32,29 @@ def draw
 # A Class to describe a "Bubble"
 #
 class Bubble
+  include Processing::Proxy
+  
+  attr_reader :width, :height
   # The constructor initializes color and size
   # Location is filled randomly
   def initialize(r, g, diameter)
-    @x, @y    = $app.random($app.width), $app.height
+    @width, @height = $app.width, $app.height
+    @x, @y    = rand(width), height
     @r, @g    = r, g
     @diameter = diameter
   end
 
   # Display the Bubble
   def display
-    $app.stroke 0
-    $app.fill @r, @g, 255, 150
-    $app.ellipse @x, @y, @diameter, @diameter
+    stroke 0
+    fill @r, @g, 255, 150
+    ellipse @x, @y, @diameter, @diameter
   end
 
   # Move the bubble
   def drift
-    @y += $app.random(-3, -0.1)
-    @x += $app.random(-1, 1)
-    @y = $app.height + @diameter * 2 if @y < -@diameter * 2
+    @y += rand(-3 .. -0.1)
+    @x += rand(-1 .. 1.0)
+    @y = height + @diameter * 2 if @y < -@diameter * 2
   end
 end
diff --git a/chapter_18/04_loading_and_saving_data_to_text_file.rb b/chapter_18/04_loading_and_saving_data_to_text_file.rb
index dea2855..425e95a 100644
--- a/chapter_18/04_loading_and_saving_data_to_text_file.rb
+++ b/chapter_18/04_loading_and_saving_data_to_text_file.rb
@@ -56,13 +56,16 @@ def save_data
 # A Class to describe a "Bubble"
 #
 class Bubble
-  attr_reader :r, :g, :diameter
+  include Processing::Proxy
+  
+  attr_reader :width, :height, :r, :g, :diameter
 
   # The constructor initializes color and size
   # Location is filled randomly
   def initialize(r, g, diameter)
-    @x        = $app.random($app.width)
-    @y        = $app.height
+    @width, @height = $app.width, $app.height
+    @x        = random(width)
+    @y        = height
     @r        = r
     @g        = g
     @diameter = diameter
@@ -70,29 +73,29 @@ def initialize(r, g, diameter)
 
   # True or False if point is inside circle
   def rollover(mx, my)
-    $app.dist(mx, my, @x, @y) < diameter / 2
+    dist(mx, my, @x, @y) < diameter / 2
   end
 
   # Change Bubble variables
   def change
-    @r        = $app.constrain(@r + $app.random(-10, 10), 0, 255)
-    @g        = $app.constrain(@g + $app.random(-10, 10), 0, 255)
-    @diameter = $app.constrain(@diameter + $app.random(-2, 4), 4, 72)
+    @r        = constrain(@r + rand(-10 .. 10), 0, 255)
+    @g        = constrain(@g + rand(-10 .. 10), 0, 255)
+    @diameter = constrain(@diameter + rand(-2 .. 4), 4, 72)
   end
 
   # Display the Bubble
   def display
-    $app.stroke 0
-    $app.fill @r, @g, 255, 150
-    $app.ellipse @x, @y, @diameter, @diameter
+    stroke 0
+    fill @r, @g, 255, 150
+    ellipse @x, @y, @diameter, @diameter
   end
 
   # Move the bubble
   def drift
-    @y += $app.random(-3, -0.1)
-    @x += $app.random(-1, 1)
+    @y += rand(-3 .. -0.1)
+    @x += rand(-1 .. 1.0)
     if @y < -@diameter * 2
-      @y = $app.height + @diameter * 2 
+      @y = height + @diameter * 2 
     end
   end
 end
diff --git a/chapter_18/05_parsing_yahoos_xml_weather_feed_manually.rb b/chapter_18/05_parsing_yahoos_xml_weather_feed_manually.rb
index 5bc69a1..463867b 100644
--- a/chapter_18/05_parsing_yahoos_xml_weather_feed_manually.rb
+++ b/chapter_18/05_parsing_yahoos_xml_weather_feed_manually.rb
@@ -47,6 +47,7 @@ def mouse_pressed
 # A WeatherGrabber class
 #
 class WeatherGrabber
+  include Processing::Proxy
   attr_reader :temperature, :weather, :zip
   attr_writer :zip
 
@@ -61,7 +62,7 @@ def request_weather
     # Get all the HTML/XML source code into an array of strings
     # (each line is one element in the array)
     url   = "http://xml.weather.yahoo.com/forecastrss?p=" + @zip
-    lines = $app.load_strings(url)
+    lines = load_strings(url)
 
     # Turn array into one long String
     xml = lines.join # join(lines, ""); 
diff --git a/chapter_18/07_loading_a_url_with_simpleml.rb b/chapter_18/07_loading_a_url_with_simpleml.rb
deleted file mode 100644
index 966d305..0000000
--- a/chapter_18/07_loading_a_url_with_simpleml.rb
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,90 +0,0 @@
-#
-# Example 18-7: Loading a URL with simpleML
-#
-load_library "simpleML"
-import "simpleML"
-
-def setup
-  size 200, 200
-  @html     = ""   # String to hold data from request
-  @counter  = 0    # Counter to animate rectangle across window
-  @back     = 255  # Background brightness
-
-  # Create and make an asynchronous request using
-  # the Request object from the library
-  @request = HTMLRequest.new(self, "http://www.yahoo.com")
-  @request.makeRequest
-  @timer = Timer.new(5000)
-  @timer.start
-  background 0
-end
-
-def draw
-  background @back
-
-  # A request is made every 5s. 
-  # The data is not received here, however, this is only the request.  
-  if @timer.finished?
-    @request.make_request
-    # XXX: was println("Making request!");
-    puts "Making request!" 
-    @timer.start
-  end
-
-  # XXX: There are still issues related to events from imported library
-  #      so we call the net_event method ourselves
-  # When a request is finished the data the available flag is set to true 
-  # and we get a chance to read the data returned by the request
-  if @request.available?
-    net_event(@request)
-  end
-
-  # Draw some lines with colors based on characters from data retrieved
-  width.times do |i|
-    if i < @html.length
-      c = @html[i]
-      stroke c, 150
-      line i, 0, i, height
-    end
-  end
-
-  # Animate rectangle and dim rectangle
-  fill 255
-  noStroke
-  rect @counter, 0, 10, height
-  @counter = (@counter + 1) % width
-  @back    = constrain(@back - 1, 0, 255)
-end
-
-# When a request is finished the data is received in the netEvent() 
-# function which is automatically called whenever data is ready.
-def net_event(ml) 
-  @html = ml.readRawSource      # Read the raw data
-  @back = 255                   # Reset background
-  puts "Request completed!"     # Print message 
-end
-
-#
-# Timer Class from Chapter 10
-#
-class Timer
-  def initialize(total_time)
-    @total_time = total_time
-    @running    = false
-  end
-
-  def start
-    @running    = true
-    @saved_time = $app.millis
-  end
-
-  def finished?
-    finished = $app.millis - @saved_time > @total_time      
-    if @running && finished
-      @running = false
-      return true
-    else
-      return false
-    end
-  end
-end
diff --git a/chapter_18/08_loading_xml_with_simpleml.rb b/chapter_18/08_loading_xml_with_simpleml.rb
deleted file mode 100644
index 3738988..0000000
--- a/chapter_18/08_loading_xml_with_simpleml.rb
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,36 +0,0 @@
-#
-# Example 18-8: Loading XML with simpleML
-#
-load_library "simpleML"
-import "simpleML"
-
-def setup
-  size 200, 200
-
-  # Creating and starting the request
-  # An array of XML elements can be retrieved using getElementArray. 
-  # This only works for elements with the same name that appear multiple times in the XML document.
-  @request = XMLRequest.new(self, "http://rss.news.yahoo.com/rss/topstories")
-  @request.makeRequest
-end
-
-def draw
-  # XXX: There are still issues related to events from imported library
-  #      so we call the net_event method ourselves
-  # When a request is finished the data the available flag is set to true 
-  # and we get a chance to read the data returned by the request
-  if @request.available?
-    net_event(@request)
-    no_loop
-  end
-end
-
-# When a request is finished the data is received in the netEvent() 
-# function which is automatically called whenever data is ready.
-def net_event(ml)
-  # Retrieving an array of all XML elements inside "  title*  " tags
-  headlines = ml.getElementArray("title")
-  headlines.each do |headline|
-    puts headline # XXX: was println(headlines[i]);
-  end
-end
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/chapter_18/09_using_processings_xml_library.rb b/chapter_18/09_using_processings_xml_library.rb
index 1210e36..c7af6a9 100644
--- a/chapter_18/09_using_processings_xml_library.rb
+++ b/chapter_18/09_using_processings_xml_library.rb
@@ -1,32 +1,27 @@
 #
 # Example 18-9: Using Processing's XML library
 #
-import "processing.xml"
+
 
 def setup
   size 200, 200
   smooth
   # Load an XML document
-  xml = XMLElement.new(self, "bubbles.xml")
+  xml = loadXML("bubbles.xml")
 
   # Getting the total number of Bubble objects with getChildCount().  
   totalBubbles = xml.get_child_count
   @bubbles = []
 
   # Get all the child elements
-  children = xml.get_children
+  children = xml.get_children("bubble")
 
   children.each do |child|
-    # The diameter is child 0
-    diameterElement = child.get_child(0)
-
-    # The diameter is the content of the first element while red and green are attributes of the second.
+    diameterElement = child.get_child("diameter")
     diameter = diameterElement.get_content.to_i
-
-    # Color is child 1
-    colorElement = child.get_child(1)
-    r = colorElement.get_int_attribute("red")
-    g = colorElement.get_int_attribute("green")
+    colorElement = child.get_child("color")
+    r = colorElement.get_int("red")
+    g = colorElement.get_int("green")
 
     # Make a new Bubble object with values from XML document
     @bubbles << Bubble.new(r, g, diameter)
@@ -47,9 +42,13 @@ def draw
 # A Bubble class
 #
 class Bubble
+  include Processing::Proxy
+  attr_reader :width, :height
+  
   def initialize(r, g, diameter)
-    @x = $app.random($app.width)
-    @y = $app.height
+    @width, @height = $app.width, $app.height
+    @x = random(width)
+    @y = height
     @r = r
     @g = g
     @diameter = diameter
@@ -57,17 +56,17 @@ def initialize(r, g, diameter)
 
   # Display Bubble
   def display
-    $app.stroke 0
-    $app.fill @r, @g, 255, 150
-    $app.ellipse @x, @y, @diameter, @diameter
+    stroke 0
+    fill @r, @g, 255, 150
+    ellipse @x, @y, @diameter, @diameter
   end
 
   # Bubble drifts upwards
   def drift
-    @y += $app.random(-3, -0.1)
-    @x += $app.random(-1, 1)
+    @y += rand(-3 .. -0.1)
+    @x += rand(-1 .. 1.0)
     if @y < -@diameter * 2
-      @y = $app.height + @diameter * 2 
+      @y = height + @diameter * 2 
     end
   end
 end
diff --git a/chapter_18/11_yahoo_search_visualization.rb b/chapter_18/11_yahoo_search_visualization.rb
index 44da881..11394f7 100644
--- a/chapter_18/11_yahoo_search_visualization.rb
+++ b/chapter_18/11_yahoo_search_visualization.rb
@@ -1,8 +1,8 @@
 #
 # Example 18-11: Yahoo search visualization
 #
-load_library "pyahoo"
-import "pyahoo"
+load_library :pyahoo
+java_import "pyahoo"
 
 # The names to search
 NAMES = %w{ Aliki Cleopatra Penelope Daniel Peter }