diff --git a/app/controllers/notifications_controller.rb b/app/controllers/notifications_controller.rb
index 507f8c0bf..af52b16a3 100644
--- a/app/controllers/notifications_controller.rb
+++ b/app/controllers/notifications_controller.rb
@@ -32,6 +32,7 @@ class NotificationsController < VannaController
     end
     notifications.each do |n|
       n[:actors] = n.actors
+      n[:translation] = object_link(n, n.actors.map { |a| person_link(a) })
       n[:translation_key] = n.popup_translation_key
       n[:target] = n.translation_key == "notifications.mentioned" ? n.target.post : n.target
     end
@@ -42,9 +43,14 @@ class NotificationsController < VannaController
   def read_all(opts=params)
     Notification.where(:recipient_id => current_user.id).update_all(:unread => false)
   end
+
   post_process :html do
     def post_read_all(json)
       Response.new(:status => 302, :location => aspects_path)
     end
   end
+
+  def controller
+    Object.new
+  end
 end
diff --git a/app/helpers/notifications_helper.rb b/app/helpers/notifications_helper.rb
index 058124822..5c30f9ede 100644
--- a/app/helpers/notifications_helper.rb
+++ b/app/helpers/notifications_helper.rb
@@ -1,4 +1,8 @@
 module NotificationsHelper
+  include ERB::Util
+  include ActionView::Helpers::TranslationHelper
+  include ActionView::Helpers::UrlHelper
+  include ApplicationHelper
   def object_link(note, actors)
     target_type = note.popup_translation_key
     actors_count = note.actors.count
diff --git a/app/views/layouts/_header.html.haml b/app/views/layouts/_header.html.haml
index 0bd36b062..eaf066ee0 100644
--- a/app/views/layouts/_header.html.haml
+++ b/app/views/layouts/_header.html.haml
@@ -43,6 +43,8 @@
             .badge_count{:class => ("hidden" if @unread_message_count == 0)}
               = @unread_message_count
 
+      #notification_dropdown
+
     %ul#user_menu.dropdown
       %li
         .right
diff --git a/features/notifications.feature b/features/notifications.feature
index 7c94cb1ea..a5ad1fda3 100644
--- a/features/notifications.feature
+++ b/features/notifications.feature
@@ -14,8 +14,14 @@ Background:
 
   And I go to the destroy user session page
 
-Scenario: someone shares with me
-  When I sign in as "alice@alice.alice"
-  And I follow "notifications" in the header
+  Scenario: someone shares with me
+    When I sign in as "alice@alice.alice"
+    And I follow "notifications" in the header
 
   Then I should see "started sharing with you"
+
+  Scenario: notification popup
+    When I sign in as "alice@alice.alice"
+    And I click the notification badge
+    And I wait for the ajax to finish
+    Then the notification dropdown should be visible
diff --git a/features/step_definitions/custom_web_steps.rb b/features/step_definitions/custom_web_steps.rb
index d239eda9c..9856a7d26 100644
--- a/features/step_definitions/custom_web_steps.rb
+++ b/features/step_definitions/custom_web_steps.rb
@@ -194,3 +194,11 @@ end
 When /^I wait for (\d+) seconds$/ do |seconds|
   sleep seconds.to_i
 end
+
+When /^I click the notification badge$/ do
+  evaluate_script("$('#notification_badge a').click();");
+end
+
+Then /^the notification dropdown should be visible$/ do
+  evaluate_script("$('#notification_dropdown').css('display') === 'block'")
+end
diff --git a/public/javascripts/widgets/notifications-badge.js b/public/javascripts/widgets/notifications-badge.js
index 23384aeaf..cff936674 100644
--- a/public/javascripts/widgets/notifications-badge.js
+++ b/public/javascripts/widgets/notifications-badge.js
@@ -1,41 +1,67 @@
-$(function() {
-  $("#notification_badge a").live("_click", function(event){
-    event.preventDefault();
-    $.getJSON("/notifications", function(hash) {
-      $("#notifications_overlay").show();
-      var notificationsElement =  $("#notifications_overlay .notifications");
-      var dayElementTemplate = $("#notifications_overlay .day_group").clone();
-      dayElementTemplate.find(".notifications_for_day").empty();
-      var streamElementTemplate = $("#notifications_overlay .stream_element").clone();
-      notificationsElement.empty();
-      $.each(hash["group_days"], function(day){
-        var dayElement = dayElementTemplate.clone();
-        var dayParts = day.split(" ");
-        dayElement.find(".month").text(dayParts[0])
-        dayElement.find(".day").text(dayParts[1])
-        var notificationsForDay = hash["group_days"][day],
-          notificationsForDayElement = dayElement.find('.notifications_for_day');
+(function() {
+  var NotificationDropdown = function() {
+    this.start = function() {
+      this.badge = $("#notification_badge a");
+      this.documentBody = $(document.body);
+      this.dropdown = $("#notification_dropdown");
 
-        $.each(notificationsForDay, function(i, notificationHash) {
-          $.each(notificationHash, function(notificationType, notification) {
-            var actor = notification.actors[0];
-            var streamElement = streamElementTemplate.clone().appendTo(notificationsForDayElement);
-            streamElement.find(".actor")
-              .text(actor.name)
-              .attr("href", notification.actors[0]["url"]);
-            streamElement.find('time').attr("datetime", notification["created_at"]);
+      this.badge.click($.proxy(function(evt) {
+        evt.preventDefault();
+        evt.stopPropagation();
+
+        if(!this.dropdownShowing()) {
+          this.getNotifications(function() {
+            this.toggleDropdown();
           });
-        });
-        notificationsElement.append(dayElement)
+        }
+        else {
+          this.toggleDropdown();
+        }
+      }, this));
 
-        Diaspora.widgets.timeago.updateTimeAgo("time");
-      });
-    });
-  });
+      this.documentBody.click($.proxy(function(evt) {
+        if(this.dropdownShowing()) {
+          this.toggleDropdown(evt);
+        }
+      }, this));
+    };
+  };
 
-  $("#notifications_overlay").delegate('a.close', 'click', function() {
-    console.log("hi!");
-    $('#notifications_overlay').hide();
-  });
+  NotificationDropdown.prototype.dropdownShowing = function() {
+    return this.dropdown.css("display") === "block";
+  }
 
-});
+  NotificationDropdown.prototype.toggleDropdown = function() {
+    if(!this.dropdownShowing()) {
+      this.renderNotifications();
+      this.showDropdown();
+    } else {
+      this.hideDropdown();
+    }
+  }
+
+  NotificationDropdown.prototype.showDropdown = function() {
+    this.dropdown.css("display", "block");
+  }
+
+  NotificationDropdown.prototype.hideDropdown = function() {
+    this.dropdown.css("display", "none");
+  }
+
+  NotificationDropdown.prototype.getNotifications = function(callback) {
+    $.getJSON("/notifications", $.proxy(function(notifications) {
+      this.notifications = notifications;
+      callback.apply(this, [notifications]);
+    }, this));
+  };
+
+  NotificationDropdown.prototype.renderNotifications = function() {
+    $.each(this.notifications.notifications, $.proxy(function(index, notifications) {
+      $.each(notifications, $.proxy(function(index, notification) {
+          this.dropdown.append(notification.translation);
+      }, this));
+    }, this));
+  };
+
+  Diaspora.widgets.add("notificationDropdown", NotificationDropdown);
+})();
diff --git a/public/stylesheets/sass/application.sass b/public/stylesheets/sass/application.sass
index bc2746938..dd0c01363 100644
--- a/public/stylesheets/sass/application.sass
+++ b/public/stylesheets/sass/application.sass
@@ -2828,7 +2828,7 @@ ul#requested-scopes
     img
       :height 30px
       :width 30px
-  
+
     .scope-description
       :display none
 
@@ -3061,3 +3061,13 @@ ul.left_nav
 
 .big_stream_photo
   :display block
+
+#notification_dropdown
+  :background white
+  :border solid #000 1px
+  :padding 25px
+  :position absolute
+  :top 29px
+  :left 540px
+  :display none
+