diff --git a/IPython/parallel/apps/ipcontrollerapp.py b/IPython/parallel/apps/ipcontrollerapp.py
index d62ebd0..4678e8d 100755
--- a/IPython/parallel/apps/ipcontrollerapp.py
+++ b/IPython/parallel/apps/ipcontrollerapp.py
@@ -54,7 +54,7 @@ from IPython.parallel.controller.hub import HubFactory
 from IPython.parallel.controller.scheduler import TaskScheduler,launch_scheduler
 from IPython.parallel.controller.sqlitedb import SQLiteDB
 
-from IPython.parallel.util import signal_children, split_url, ensure_bytes
+from IPython.parallel.util import signal_children, split_url, asbytes
 
 # conditional import of MongoDB backend class
 
@@ -202,7 +202,7 @@ class IPControllerApp(BaseParallelApplication):
         # load from engine config
         with open(os.path.join(self.profile_dir.security_dir, 'ipcontroller-engine.json')) as f:
             cfg = json.loads(f.read())
-        key = c.Session.key = ensure_bytes(cfg['exec_key'])
+        key = c.Session.key = asbytes(cfg['exec_key'])
         xport,addr = cfg['url'].split('://')
         c.HubFactory.engine_transport = xport
         ip,ports = addr.split(':')
@@ -239,7 +239,7 @@ class IPControllerApp(BaseParallelApplication):
             # with open(keyfile, 'w') as f:
             #     f.write(key)
             # os.chmod(keyfile, stat.S_IRUSR|stat.S_IWUSR)
-            c.Session.key = ensure_bytes(key)
+            c.Session.key = asbytes(key)
         else:
             key = c.Session.key = b''
         
diff --git a/IPython/parallel/apps/ipengineapp.py b/IPython/parallel/apps/ipengineapp.py
index b84be79..d4872c7 100755
--- a/IPython/parallel/apps/ipengineapp.py
+++ b/IPython/parallel/apps/ipengineapp.py
@@ -41,7 +41,7 @@ from IPython.config.configurable import Configurable
 from IPython.zmq.session import Session
 from IPython.parallel.engine.engine import EngineFactory
 from IPython.parallel.engine.streamkernel import Kernel
-from IPython.parallel.util import disambiguate_url, ensure_bytes
+from IPython.parallel.util import disambiguate_url, asbytes
 
 from IPython.utils.importstring import import_item
 from IPython.utils.traitlets import Bool, Unicode, Dict, List, Float
@@ -217,7 +217,7 @@ class IPEngineApp(BaseParallelApplication):
             with open(self.url_file) as f:
                 d = json.loads(f.read())
             if d['exec_key']:
-                config.Session.key = ensure_bytes(d['exec_key'])
+                config.Session.key = asbytes(d['exec_key'])
             d['url'] = disambiguate_url(d['url'], d['location'])
             config.EngineFactory.url = d['url']
             config.EngineFactory.location = d['location']
diff --git a/IPython/parallel/client/client.py b/IPython/parallel/client/client.py
index 958d08e..c4ac985 100644
--- a/IPython/parallel/client/client.py
+++ b/IPython/parallel/client/client.py
@@ -50,7 +50,7 @@ from IPython.core.profiledir import ProfileDir, ProfileDirError
 from .view import DirectView, LoadBalancedView
 
 if sys.version_info[0] >= 3:
-    # xrange is used in a coupe 'isinstance' tests in py2
+    # xrange is used in a couple 'isinstance' tests in py2
     # should be just 'range' in 3k
     xrange = range
 
@@ -362,12 +362,12 @@ class Client(HasTraits):
             if os.path.isfile(exec_key):
                 extra_args['keyfile'] = exec_key
             else:
-                exec_key = util.ensure_bytes(exec_key)
+                exec_key = util.asbytes(exec_key)
                 extra_args['key'] = exec_key
         self.session = Session(**extra_args)
         
         self._query_socket = self._context.socket(zmq.XREQ)
-        self._query_socket.setsockopt(zmq.IDENTITY, util.ensure_bytes(self.session.session))
+        self._query_socket.setsockopt(zmq.IDENTITY, util.asbytes(self.session.session))
         if self._ssh:
             tunnel.tunnel_connection(self._query_socket, url, sshserver, **ssh_kwargs)
         else:
@@ -460,7 +460,7 @@ class Client(HasTraits):
         if not isinstance(targets, (tuple, list, xrange)):
             raise TypeError("targets by int/slice/collection of ints only, not %s"%(type(targets)))
             
-        return [util.ensure_bytes(self._engines[t]) for t in targets], list(targets)
+        return [util.asbytes(self._engines[t]) for t in targets], list(targets)
     
     def _connect(self, sshserver, ssh_kwargs, timeout):
         """setup all our socket connections to the cluster. This is called from
@@ -493,7 +493,7 @@ class Client(HasTraits):
         content = msg.content
         self._config['registration'] = dict(content)
         if content.status == 'ok':
-            ident = util.ensure_bytes(self.session.session)
+            ident = util.asbytes(self.session.session)
             if content.mux:
                 self._mux_socket = self._context.socket(zmq.XREQ)
                 self._mux_socket.setsockopt(zmq.IDENTITY, ident)
diff --git a/IPython/parallel/controller/heartmonitor.py b/IPython/parallel/controller/heartmonitor.py
index 23a1a92..e51b6c5 100644
--- a/IPython/parallel/controller/heartmonitor.py
+++ b/IPython/parallel/controller/heartmonitor.py
@@ -25,7 +25,7 @@ from zmq.eventloop import ioloop, zmqstream
 from IPython.config.configurable import LoggingConfigurable
 from IPython.utils.traitlets import Set, Instance, CFloat
 
-from IPython.parallel.util import ensure_bytes
+from IPython.parallel.util import asbytes
 
 class Heart(object):
     """A basic heart object for responding to a HeartMonitor.
@@ -117,7 +117,7 @@ class HeartMonitor(LoggingConfigurable):
         self.responses = set()
         # print self.on_probation, self.hearts
         # self.log.debug("heartbeat::beat %.3f, %i beating hearts"%(self.lifetime, len(self.hearts)))
-        self.pingstream.send(ensure_bytes(str(self.lifetime)))
+        self.pingstream.send(asbytes(str(self.lifetime)))
     
     def handle_new_heart(self, heart):
         if self._new_handlers:
@@ -142,8 +142,8 @@ class HeartMonitor(LoggingConfigurable):
     
     def handle_pong(self, msg):
         "a heart just beat"
-        current = ensure_bytes(str(self.lifetime))
-        last = ensure_bytes(str(self.last_ping))
+        current = asbytes(str(self.lifetime))
+        last = asbytes(str(self.last_ping))
         if msg[1] == current:
             delta = time.time()-self.tic
             # self.log.debug("heartbeat::heart %r took %.2f ms to respond"%(msg[0], 1000*delta))
diff --git a/IPython/parallel/controller/hub.py b/IPython/parallel/controller/hub.py
index 8549e89..5a66178 100755
--- a/IPython/parallel/controller/hub.py
+++ b/IPython/parallel/controller/hub.py
@@ -289,7 +289,7 @@ class HubFactory(RegistrationFactory):
         # resubmit stream
         r = ZMQStream(ctx.socket(zmq.XREQ), loop)
         url = util.disambiguate_url(self.client_info['task'][-1])
-        r.setsockopt(zmq.IDENTITY, util.ensure_bytes(self.session.session))
+        r.setsockopt(zmq.IDENTITY, util.asbytes(self.session.session))
         r.connect(url)
 
         self.hub = Hub(loop=loop, session=self.session, monitor=sub, heartmonitor=self.heartmonitor,
@@ -752,7 +752,7 @@ class Hub(SessionFactory):
         # print (content)
         msg_id = content['msg_id']
         engine_uuid = content['engine_id']
-        eid = self.by_ident[util.ensure_bytes(engine_uuid)]
+        eid = self.by_ident[util.asbytes(engine_uuid)]
         
         self.log.info("task::task %r arrived on %r"%(msg_id, eid))
         if msg_id in self.unassigned:
@@ -842,13 +842,13 @@ class Hub(SessionFactory):
         """Register a new engine."""
         content = msg['content']
         try:
-            queue = util.ensure_bytes(content['queue'])
+            queue = util.asbytes(content['queue'])
         except KeyError:
             self.log.error("registration::queue not specified", exc_info=True)
             return
         heart = content.get('heartbeat', None)
         if heart:
-            heart = util.ensure_bytes(heart)
+            heart = util.asbytes(heart)
         """register a new engine, and create the socket(s) necessary"""
         eid = self._next_id
         # print (eid, queue, reg, heart)
@@ -915,7 +915,7 @@ class Hub(SessionFactory):
         self.log.info("registration::unregister_engine(%r)"%eid)
         # print (eid)
         uuid = self.keytable[eid]
-        content=dict(id=eid, queue=uuid.decode())
+        content=dict(id=eid, queue=uuid.decode('ascii'))
         self.dead_engines.add(uuid)
         # self.ids.remove(eid)
         # uuid = self.keytable.pop(eid)
@@ -983,7 +983,7 @@ class Hub(SessionFactory):
         self.tasks[eid] = list()
         self.completed[eid] = list()
         self.hearts[heart] = eid
-        content = dict(id=eid, queue=self.engines[eid].queue.decode())
+        content = dict(id=eid, queue=self.engines[eid].queue.decode('ascii'))
         if self.notifier:
             self.session.send(self.notifier, "registration_notification", content=content)
         self.log.info("engine::Engine Connected: %i"%eid)
diff --git a/IPython/parallel/controller/scheduler.py b/IPython/parallel/controller/scheduler.py
index ba86250..747d5b6 100644
--- a/IPython/parallel/controller/scheduler.py
+++ b/IPython/parallel/controller/scheduler.py
@@ -44,7 +44,7 @@ from IPython.utils.traitlets import Instance, Dict, List, Set, Int, Enum, CBytes
 
 from IPython.parallel import error
 from IPython.parallel.factory import SessionFactory
-from IPython.parallel.util import connect_logger, local_logger, ensure_bytes
+from IPython.parallel.util import connect_logger, local_logger, asbytes
 
 from .dependency import Dependency
 
@@ -177,7 +177,7 @@ class TaskScheduler(SessionFactory):
     ident = CBytes() # ZMQ identity. This should just be self.session.session
                      # but ensure Bytes
     def _ident_default(self):
-        return ensure_bytes(self.session.session)
+        return asbytes(self.session.session)
     
     def start(self):
         self.engine_stream.on_recv(self.dispatch_result, copy=False)
@@ -223,7 +223,7 @@ class TaskScheduler(SessionFactory):
             self.log.error("Unhandled message type: %r"%msg_type)
         else:
             try:
-                handler(ensure_bytes(msg['content']['queue']))
+                handler(asbytes(msg['content']['queue']))
             except Exception:
                 self.log.error("task::Invalid notification msg: %r",msg)
     
@@ -323,7 +323,7 @@ class TaskScheduler(SessionFactory):
         # get targets as a set of bytes objects
         # from a list of unicode objects
         targets = header.get('targets', [])
-        targets = map(ensure_bytes, targets)
+        targets = map(asbytes, targets)
         targets = set(targets)
             
         retries = header.get('retries', 0)
diff --git a/IPython/parallel/controller/sqlitedb.py b/IPython/parallel/controller/sqlitedb.py
index 167cfd7..f5cdafc 100644
--- a/IPython/parallel/controller/sqlitedb.py
+++ b/IPython/parallel/controller/sqlitedb.py
@@ -63,8 +63,7 @@ def _convert_dict(ds):
         if isinstance(ds, bytes):
             # If I understand the sqlite doc correctly, this will always be utf8
             ds = ds.decode('utf8')
-        d = json.loads(ds)
-        return extract_dates(d)
+        return extract_dates(json.loads(ds))
 
 def _adapt_bufs(bufs):
     # this is *horrible*
diff --git a/IPython/parallel/engine/engine.py b/IPython/parallel/engine/engine.py
index d4b30d4..dd91f8c 100755
--- a/IPython/parallel/engine/engine.py
+++ b/IPython/parallel/engine/engine.py
@@ -28,7 +28,7 @@ from IPython.utils.traitlets import Instance, Dict, Int, Type, CFloat, Unicode, 
 
 from IPython.parallel.controller.heartmonitor import Heart
 from IPython.parallel.factory import RegistrationFactory
-from IPython.parallel.util import disambiguate_url, ensure_bytes
+from IPython.parallel.util import disambiguate_url, asbytes
 
 from IPython.zmq.session import Message
 
@@ -61,7 +61,7 @@ class EngineFactory(RegistrationFactory):
     bident = CBytes()
     ident = Unicode()
     def _ident_changed(self, name, old, new):
-        self.bident = ensure_bytes(new)
+        self.bident = asbytes(new)
     
     
     def __init__(self, **kwargs):
diff --git a/IPython/parallel/engine/streamkernel.py b/IPython/parallel/engine/streamkernel.py
index 73bf8cc..5e6203b 100755
--- a/IPython/parallel/engine/streamkernel.py
+++ b/IPython/parallel/engine/streamkernel.py
@@ -40,7 +40,7 @@ from IPython.zmq.completer import KernelCompleter
 
 from IPython.parallel.error import wrap_exception
 from IPython.parallel.factory import SessionFactory
-from IPython.parallel.util import serialize_object, unpack_apply_message, ensure_bytes
+from IPython.parallel.util import serialize_object, unpack_apply_message, asbytes
 
 def printer(*args):
     pprint(args, stream=sys.__stdout__)
@@ -79,7 +79,7 @@ class Kernel(SessionFactory):
     bident = CBytes()
     ident = Unicode()
     def _ident_changed(self, name, old, new):
-        self.bident = ensure_bytes(new)
+        self.bident = asbytes(new)
     
     user_ns = Dict(config=True,  help="""Set the user's namespace of the Kernel""")
     
@@ -255,7 +255,7 @@ class Kernel(SessionFactory):
             self.log.error("Got bad msg: %s"%parent, exc_info=True)
             return
         self.session.send(self.iopub_stream, u'pyin', {u'code':code},parent=parent,
-                            ident=ensure_bytes('%s.pyin'%self.prefix))
+                            ident=asbytes('%s.pyin'%self.prefix))
         started = datetime.now()
         try:
             comp_code = self.compiler(code, '<zmq-kernel>')
@@ -269,7 +269,7 @@ class Kernel(SessionFactory):
             exc_content = self._wrap_exception('execute')
             # exc_msg = self.session.msg(u'pyerr', exc_content, parent)
             self.session.send(self.iopub_stream, u'pyerr', exc_content, parent=parent,
-                            ident=ensure_bytes('%s.pyerr'%self.prefix))
+                            ident=asbytes('%s.pyerr'%self.prefix))
             reply_content = exc_content
         else:
             reply_content = {'status' : 'ok'}
@@ -348,7 +348,7 @@ class Kernel(SessionFactory):
             exc_content = self._wrap_exception('apply')
             # exc_msg = self.session.msg(u'pyerr', exc_content, parent)
             self.session.send(self.iopub_stream, u'pyerr', exc_content, parent=parent,
-                                ident=ensure_bytes('%s.pyerr'%self.prefix))
+                                ident=asbytes('%s.pyerr'%self.prefix))
             reply_content = exc_content
             result_buf = []
             
diff --git a/IPython/parallel/tests/clienttest.py b/IPython/parallel/tests/clienttest.py
index 6f22d88..07635c2 100644
--- a/IPython/parallel/tests/clienttest.py
+++ b/IPython/parallel/tests/clienttest.py
@@ -43,6 +43,7 @@ def crash():
         ctypes.windll.kernel32.SetErrorMode(0x0002);
     args = [ 0, 0, 0, 0, b'\x04\x71\x00\x00', (), (), (), '', '', 1, b'']
     if sys.version_info[0] >= 3:
+        # Python3 adds 'kwonlyargcount' as the second argument to Code
         args.insert(1, 0)
         
     co = types.CodeType(*args)
diff --git a/IPython/parallel/util.py b/IPython/parallel/util.py
index 486b894..104cc7e 100644
--- a/IPython/parallel/util.py
+++ b/IPython/parallel/util.py
@@ -101,7 +101,7 @@ class ReverseDict(dict):
 # Functions
 #-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
-def ensure_bytes(s):
+def asbytes(s):
     """ensure that an object is ascii bytes"""
     if isinstance(s, unicode):
         s = s.encode('ascii')
diff --git a/IPython/utils/codeutil.py b/IPython/utils/codeutil.py
index 08f4155..ffefe52 100644
--- a/IPython/utils/codeutil.py
+++ b/IPython/utils/codeutil.py
@@ -24,10 +24,10 @@ __docformat__ = "restructuredtext en"
 #-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
 import sys
-import new, types, copy_reg
+import types, copy_reg
 
 def code_ctor(*args):
-    return new.code(*args)
+    return types.CodeType(*args)
     
 def reduce_code(co):
     if co.co_freevars or co.co_cellvars: