diff --git a/src/UserActivity.js b/src/UserActivity.js
index 3048ad4454..8b136c0bcc 100644
--- a/src/UserActivity.js
+++ b/src/UserActivity.js
@@ -31,6 +31,11 @@ class UserActivity {
     start() {
         document.onmousemove = this._onUserActivity.bind(this);
         document.onkeypress = this._onUserActivity.bind(this);
+        // can't use document.scroll here because that's only the document
+        // itself being scrolled. Need to use addEventListener's useCapture.
+        // also this needs to be the wheel event, not scroll, as scroll is
+        // fired when the view scrolls down for a new message.
+        window.addEventListener('wheel', this._onUserActivity.bind(this), true);
         this.lastActivityAtTs = new Date().getTime();
         this.lastDispatchAtTs = 0;
     }
@@ -41,10 +46,11 @@ class UserActivity {
     stop() {
         document.onmousemove = undefined;
         document.onkeypress = undefined;
+        window.removeEventListener('wheel', this._onUserActivity.bind(this), true);
     }
 
     _onUserActivity(event) {
-        if (event.screenX) {
+        if (event.screenX && event.type == "mousemove") {
             if (event.screenX === this.lastScreenX &&
                 event.screenY === this.lastScreenY)
             {
diff --git a/src/components/structures/RoomView.js b/src/components/structures/RoomView.js
index c622a7d769..7f723edfd7 100644
--- a/src/components/structures/RoomView.js
+++ b/src/components/structures/RoomView.js
@@ -40,6 +40,7 @@ var dis = require("../../dispatcher");
 
 var PAGINATE_SIZE = 20;
 var INITIAL_SIZE = 20;
+var SEND_READ_RECEIPT_DELAY = 2000;
 
 var DEBUG_SCROLL = false;
 
@@ -74,6 +75,8 @@ module.exports = React.createClass({
             syncState: MatrixClientPeg.get().getSyncState(),
             hasUnsentMessages: this._hasUnsentMessages(room),
             callState: null,
+            readMarkerEventId: room.getEventReadUpTo(MatrixClientPeg.get().credentials.userId),
+            readMarkerGhostEventId: undefined,
         }
     },
 
@@ -261,7 +264,33 @@ module.exports = React.createClass({
 
     onRoomReceipt: function(receiptEvent, room) {
         if (room.roomId == this.props.roomId) {
-            this.forceUpdate();
+            var readMarkerEventId = this.state.room.getEventReadUpTo(MatrixClientPeg.get().credentials.userId);
+            var readMarkerGhostEventId = this.state.readMarkerGhostEventId;
+            if (this.state.readMarkerEventId !== undefined && this.state.readMarkerEventId != readMarkerEventId) {
+                readMarkerGhostEventId = this.state.readMarkerEventId;
+            }
+
+
+            // if the event after the one referenced in the read receipt if sent by us, do nothing since
+            // this is a temporary period before the synthesized receipt for our own message arrives
+            var readMarkerGhostEventIndex;
+            for (var i = 0; i < room.timeline.length; ++i) {
+                if (room.timeline[i].getId() == readMarkerGhostEventId) {
+                    readMarkerGhostEventIndex = i;
+                    break;
+                }
+            }
+            if (readMarkerGhostEventIndex + 1 < room.timeline.length) {
+                var nextEvent = room.timeline[readMarkerGhostEventIndex + 1];
+                if (nextEvent.sender && nextEvent.sender.userId == MatrixClientPeg.get().credentials.userId) {
+                    readMarkerGhostEventId = undefined;
+                }
+            }
+
+            this.setState({
+                readMarkerEventId: readMarkerEventId,
+                readMarkerGhostEventId: readMarkerGhostEventId,
+            });
         }
     },
 
@@ -682,10 +711,10 @@ module.exports = React.createClass({
 
         var EventTile = sdk.getComponent('rooms.EventTile');
 
-
         var prevEvent = null; // the last event we showed
-        var readReceiptEventId = this.state.room.getEventReadUpTo(MatrixClientPeg.get().credentials.userId);
         var startIdx = Math.max(0, this.state.room.timeline.length - this.state.messageCap);
+        var readMarkerIndex;
+        var ghostIndex;
         for (var i = startIdx; i < this.state.room.timeline.length; i++) {
             var mxEv = this.state.room.timeline[i];
 
@@ -699,6 +728,25 @@ module.exports = React.createClass({
                 }
             }
 
+            // now we've decided whether or not to show this message,
+            // add the read up to marker if appropriate
+            // doing this here means we implicitly do not show the marker
+            // if it's at the bottom
+            // NB. it would be better to decide where the read marker was going
+            // when the state changed rather than here in the render method, but
+            // this is where we decide what messages we show so it's the only
+            // place we know whether we're at the bottom or not.
+            var self = this;
+            var mxEvSender = mxEv.sender ? mxEv.sender.userId : null;
+            if (prevEvent && prevEvent.getId() == this.state.readMarkerEventId && mxEvSender != MatrixClientPeg.get().credentials.userId) {
+                var hr;
+                hr = (<hr className="mx_RoomView_myReadMarker" style={{opacity: 1, width: '99%'}} ref={function(n) {
+                    self.readMarkerNode = n;
+                }} />);
+                readMarkerIndex = ret.length;
+                ret.push(<li key="_readupto" className="mx_RoomView_myReadMarker_container">{hr}</li>);
+            }
+
             // is this a continuation of the previous message?
             var continuation = false;
             if (prevEvent !== null) {
@@ -735,13 +783,29 @@ module.exports = React.createClass({
                 </li>
             );
 
-            if (eventId == readReceiptEventId) {
-                ret.push(<hr className="mx_RoomView_myReadMarker" />);
+            // A read up to marker has died and returned as a ghost!
+            // Lives in the dom as the ghost of the previous one while it fades away
+            if (eventId == this.state.readMarkerGhostEventId) {
+                ghostIndex = ret.length;
             }
 
             prevEvent = mxEv;
         }
 
+        // splice the read marker ghost in now that we know whether the read receipt
+        // is the last element or not, because we only decide as we're going along.
+        if (readMarkerIndex === undefined && ghostIndex && ghostIndex <= ret.length) {
+            var hr;
+            hr = (<hr className="mx_RoomView_myReadMarker" style={{opacity: 1, width: '85%'}} ref={function(n) {
+                Velocity(n, {opacity: '0', width: '10%'}, {duration: 400, easing: 'easeInSine', delay: 1000, complete: function() {
+                    self.setState({readMarkerGhostEventId: undefined});
+                }});
+            }} />);
+            ret.splice(ghostIndex, 0, (
+                <li key="_readuptoghost" className="mx_RoomView_myReadMarker_container">{hr}</li>
+            ));
+        }
+
         return ret;
     },