diff --git a/examples.txt b/examples.txt
index b035a04..3fffb46 100644
--- a/examples.txt
+++ b/examples.txt
@@ -14,8 +14,6 @@ Multiple Return Values
 Variadic Functions
 Closures
 Recursion
-# Defer
-# Panic
 # Pointers
 # New
 # Structs
@@ -43,6 +41,9 @@ Mutexes
 Stateful Goroutines
 Sorting
 Sorting by Functions
+Panic
+Defer
+# Recover
 # Collection Functions
 # String Functions
 # String Formatting
diff --git a/examples/defer/defer.go b/examples/defer/defer.go
index 037bb53..46b8e67 100644
--- a/examples/defer/defer.go
+++ b/examples/defer/defer.go
@@ -1,18 +1,44 @@
+// _Defer_ is used to ensure that a function call is
+// performed later in a program's execution, usually for
+// purposes of cleanup. `defer` is often used where e.g.
+// `ensure` and `finally` would be used in other languages.
+
 package main
 
 import "fmt"
+import "os"
 
-func first() {
-    fmt.Println("1st")
-}
-
-func second() {
-    fmt.Println("2nd")
-}
-
+// Suppose we wanted to create a file, write to it,
+// and then close when we're done. Here's how we could
+// do that with `defer`.
 func main() {
-    defer second()
-    first()
+
+    // Immediately after getting a file object with
+    // `createFile`, we defer the closing of that file
+    // with `closeFile`. This will be executed at the end
+    // of the enclosing function (`main`), after
+    // `writeFile` has finished.
+    f := createFile("/tmp/defer.txt")
+    defer closeFile(f)
+    writeFile(f)
 }
 
-// todo: review http://blog.golang.org/2010/08/defer-panic-and-recover.html
+func createFile(p string) *os.File {
+    fmt.Println("creating")
+    f, err := os.Create(p)
+    if err != nil {
+        panic(err)
+    }
+    return f
+}
+
+func writeFile(f *os.File) {
+    fmt.Println("writing")
+    fmt.Fprintln(f, "data")
+
+}
+
+func closeFile(f *os.File) {
+    fmt.Println("closing")
+    f.Close()
+}
diff --git a/examples/defer/defer.sh b/examples/defer/defer.sh
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..e84518b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/examples/defer/defer.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,6 @@
+# Running the program confirms that the file is closed
+# after being written.
+$ go run defer.go
+creating
+writing
+closing
diff --git a/examples/panic/panic.go b/examples/panic/panic.go
index e39ae61..4c0c9b0 100644
--- a/examples/panic/panic.go
+++ b/examples/panic/panic.go
@@ -1,13 +1,25 @@
-// A `panic` means something went unexpectedly wrong.
-// Mostly we use it to fail fast on errors that
-// shouldn't occur during normal operation.
+// A `panic` typically means something went unexpectedly
+// wrong. Mostly we use it to fail fast on errors that
+// shouldn't occur during normal operation, or that we
+// aren't prepared to handle gracefully.
 
 package main
 
+import "os"
+
 func main() {
 
-    // We'll use panic throught this book to check for
-    // unexpected errors. This is the only program in the
-    // book designed to panic.
-    panic("O noes")
+    // We'll use panic throughout this site to check for
+    // unexpected errors. This is the only program on the
+    // site designed to panic.
+    panic("a problem")
+
+    // A common use of panic is to abort if function
+    // returns an error value that we don't know how to
+    // (or want to) handle. Here's an example of
+    // `panic`king if we get an unexpected error when creating a new file.
+    f, err := os.Create("/tmp/file")
+    if err != nil {
+        panic(err)
+    }
 }
diff --git a/examples/panic/panic.sh b/examples/panic/panic.sh
index 83dc2ab..d371bff 100644
--- a/examples/panic/panic.sh
+++ b/examples/panic/panic.sh
@@ -1,7 +1,16 @@
-$ go run 26-panic.go
-panic: O noes
+# Running the program will cause it to panic, print
+# an error message and goroutine traces, and exit with
+# a non-zero status.
+$ go run panic.go
+panic: a problem
 
 goroutine 1 [running]:
 main.main()
-	/.../src/26-panic.go:4 +0x47
+	/.../panic.go:12 +0x47
 ...
+exit status 2
+
+# Note that unlike some languages which use exceptions
+# for handling of many errors, in Go it is idiomatic
+# to use error-indicating return values wherever possible.
+# We'll learn more about this in later examples.