the algorithmic refinement of triangular meshes is an important component in numerical simulation codes. newest vertex bisection is one of the most popular methods for geometrically stable local refinement. its complexity analysis, however, is a fairly intricate recent result and many combinatorial aspects of this method are not yet fully understood. in this talk, we access newest vertex bisection from the perspective of theoretical computer science. a new result is the amortized complexity analysis over generalized triangulations. an immediate application is the convergence and complexity analysis of adaptive finite element methods over embedded surfaces and singular surfaces. this is joint work with michael holst and zhao lyu.