diff --git a/kern/drivers/dev/cons.c b/kern/drivers/dev/cons.c
index 4fdb4ea..809a325 100644
--- a/kern/drivers/dev/cons.c
+++ b/kern/drivers/dev/cons.c
@@ -323,11 +323,6 @@
 	panic("sysfatal: %s", err);
 }
 
-void _assert(char *fmt)
-{
-	panic("assert failed at %#p: %s", getcallerpc(&fmt), fmt);
-}
-
 #if 0
 int pprint(char *fmt, ...)
 {
diff --git a/kern/include/ns.h b/kern/include/ns.h
index 5615df0..35c6933 100644
--- a/kern/include/ns.h
+++ b/kern/include/ns.h
@@ -67,10 +67,6 @@
  * one-of-a-kind
  */
 extern char *cleanname(char *unused_char_p_t);
-static inline uint32_t getcallerpc(void *v)
-{
-	return 0;
-}
 
 extern int getfields(char *unused_char_p_t, char **unused_char_pp_t,
 					 int unused_int, int, char *);
diff --git a/kern/src/ns/chan.c b/kern/src/ns/chan.c
index 02f11fd..ae16089 100644
--- a/kern/src/ns/chan.c
+++ b/kern/src/ns/chan.c
@@ -331,7 +331,7 @@
 		return;
 
 	if (c->flag & CFREE)
-		panic("cclose %p", getcallerpc(&c));
+		panic("double cclose %p.  maybe kfunc channame and hexdump", c);
 
 	kref_put(&c->ref);
 }
diff --git a/kern/src/ns/qio.c b/kern/src/ns/qio.c
index 791fa0c..1c41787 100644
--- a/kern/src/ns/qio.c
+++ b/kern/src/ns/qio.c
@@ -141,7 +141,7 @@
 
 		PANIC_EXTRA(bp);
 		if (bp->next)
-			panic("padblock %p", getcallerpc(&bp));
+			panic("%s %p had a next", __func__, bp);
 		n = BLEN(bp);
 		padblockcnt++;
 		nbp = block_alloc(size + n, MEM_WAIT);
@@ -158,7 +158,7 @@
 		PANIC_EXTRA(bp);
 
 		if (bp->next)
-			panic("padblock %p", getcallerpc(&bp));
+			panic("%s %p had a next", __func__, bp);
 
 		if (bp->lim - bp->wp >= size)
 			return bp;