diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 34ea29d..435a8f4 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -8,7 +8,7 @@ A very cool language
 * Growing [standard library](https://github.com/antpiasecki/zern/tree/main/src/std)
 * Produces tiny static executables (11KB for `hello.zr`)
 * No libc required!
-* Has the pipe operator, variadics, dynamic arrays, hashmaps, etc.
+* Has the pipe operator, variadics, dynamic arrays, hashmaps, DNS resolver, etc.
 
 ## Syntax
 ```rust
diff --git a/src/std/net.zr b/src/std/net.zr
index e4c4250..41685ae 100644
--- a/src/std/net.zr
+++ b/src/std/net.zr
@@ -201,7 +201,7 @@ func net.resolve?[domain: str] : i64
     let query: io.Buffer = net.build_dns_query(domain, DNS_TYPE_A)
 
     // TODO: this probably shouldnt be hardcoded
-    let s: net.UDPSocket = net.create_udp_client?(net.pack_addr(8, 8, 8, 8), 53)
+    let s: net.UDPSocket = net.create_udp_client?(net.pack_addr(1, 1, 1, 1), 53)
     if err.check()
         return -1
 
diff --git a/src/std/std.zr b/src/std/std.zr
index 3ce9cdf..bbbd894 100644
--- a/src/std/std.zr
+++ b/src/std/std.zr
@@ -273,10 +273,10 @@ func io.printf[..] : void
             s = s + 1
 
             if s[0] == 'd'
-                io.print_i64(_var_arg(i))
+                io.print_i64(_var_arg(i) as i64)
                 i = i + 1
             else if s[0] == 'x'
-                io.print_i64_hex(_var_arg(i))
+                io.print_i64_hex(_var_arg(i) as i64)
                 i = i + 1
             else if s[0] == 's'
                 io.print(_var_arg(i) as str)
@@ -670,41 +670,38 @@ func str.parse_i64[s: str] : i64
 
 func str.hex_encode[s: str, s_len: i64] : str
     let hex_chars: str = "0123456789abcdef"
-    let j = 0
     let out: str = mem.alloc(s_len * 2 + 1) as str
 
     for i in 0..s_len
-        let high: u8 = (s[i] >> 4) & 15
-        let low: u8 = s[i] & 15
-        out[j] = hex_chars[high]
-        out[j + 1] = hex_chars[low]
-        j = j + 2
+        let b: u8 = s[i]
+        out[i * 2]     = hex_chars[(b >> 4) & 15]
+        out[i * 2 + 1] = hex_chars[b & 15]
 
-    out[j] = 0
+    out[s_len * 2] = 0
     return out
 
 func str._hex_digit_to_int[d: u8] : u8
-    if d >= 'a' && d <= 'f'
-        return d - 'a' + 10
-    if d >= 'A' && d <= 'F'
-        return d - 'A' + 10
-    return d - '0'
+    if d >= '0' && d <= '9'
+        return d - '0'
+    let lower: u8 = d | 32 
+    if lower >= 'a' && lower <= 'f'
+        return lower - 'a' + 10
+    panic("invalid hex digit passed to str._hex_digit_to_int")
 
 func str.hex_decode[s: str] : str
     let s_len: i64 = str.len(s)
     if s_len % 2 != 0
         panic("invalid hex string passed to str.hex_decode")
 
-    let i = 0
-    let j = 0
-    let out: str = mem.alloc(s_len / 2 + 1) as str
+    let out_len: i64 = s_len / 2
+    let out: str = mem.alloc(out_len + 1) as str
 
-    while i < s_len
-        out[j] = str._hex_digit_to_int(s[i]) * 16 + str._hex_digit_to_int(s[i + 1])
-        i = i + 2
-        j = j + 1
+    for i in 0..out_len
+        let high: u8 = str._hex_digit_to_int(s[i * 2])
+        let low: u8 = str._hex_digit_to_int(s[i * 2 + 1])
+        out[i] = (high << 4) | low
 
-    out[j] = 0
+    out[out_len] = 0
     return out
 
 func math.gcd[a: i64, b: i64] : i64