diff --git a/IPython/html/static/base/js/dialog.js b/IPython/html/static/base/js/dialog.js
index 4ec8ec0..350bd2a 100644
--- a/IPython/html/static/base/js/dialog.js
+++ b/IPython/html/static/base/js/dialog.js
@@ -69,12 +69,13 @@ IPython.dialog = (function (IPython) {
             if (IPython.notebook) {
                 var cell = IPython.notebook.get_selected_cell();
                 if (cell) cell.select();
+                IPython.keyboard_manager.enable();
                 IPython.keyboard_manager.command_mode();
             }
         });
         
         if (IPython.keyboard_manager) {
-            IPython.keyboard_manager.null_mode();
+            IPython.keyboard_manager.disable();
         }
         
         return dialog.modal(options);
diff --git a/IPython/html/static/notebook/js/completer.js b/IPython/html/static/notebook/js/completer.js
index f089879..e3e4617 100644
--- a/IPython/html/static/notebook/js/completer.js
+++ b/IPython/html/static/notebook/js/completer.js
@@ -257,7 +257,7 @@ var IPython = (function (IPython) {
         this.build_gui_list(this.raw_result);
 
         this.sel.focus();
-        IPython.keyboard_manager.null_mode();
+        IPython.keyboard_manager.disable();
         // Opera sometimes ignores focusing a freshly created node
         if (window.opera) setTimeout(function () {
             if (!this.done) this.sel.focus();
@@ -282,7 +282,7 @@ var IPython = (function (IPython) {
         if (this.done) return;
         this.done = true;
         $('.completions').remove();
-        IPython.keyboard_manager.edit_mode();
+        IPython.keyboard_manager.enable();
     }
 
     Completer.prototype.pick = function () {
diff --git a/IPython/html/static/notebook/js/keyboardmanager.js b/IPython/html/static/notebook/js/keyboardmanager.js
index edf26de..00cb28a 100644
--- a/IPython/html/static/notebook/js/keyboardmanager.js
+++ b/IPython/html/static/notebook/js/keyboardmanager.js
@@ -16,7 +16,7 @@ var IPython = (function (IPython) {
 
     var KeyboardManager = function () {
         this.mode = 'command';
-        this.last_mode = 'command';
+        this.enabled = true;
         this.bind_events();
     };
 
@@ -38,8 +38,8 @@ var IPython = (function (IPython) {
             event.preventDefault();
         }
         
-        if (this.mode === 'null') {
-            return this.handle_null_mode(event);
+        if (!this.enabled) {
+            return true;
         }
         
         // Event handlers for both command and edit mode
@@ -75,11 +75,6 @@ var IPython = (function (IPython) {
         }
     }
 
-    KeyboardManager.prototype.handle_null_mode = function (event) {
-        return true;
-    }
-
-
     KeyboardManager.prototype.handle_edit_mode = function (event) {
         var notebook = IPython.notebook;
         
@@ -263,19 +258,6 @@ var IPython = (function (IPython) {
         this.mode = 'command';
     }
 
-    KeyboardManager.prototype.null_mode = function () {
-        console.log('KeyboardManager', 'changing to null mode');
-        this.last_mode = this.mode;
-        this.mode = 'null';
-    }
-
-    KeyboardManager.prototype.last_mode = function () {
-        var lm = this.last_mode;
-        this.last_mode = this.mode;
-        this.mode = lm;
-    }
-
-
     IPython.KeyboardManager = KeyboardManager;
 
     return IPython;