diff --git a/ts/GNUmakefile b/ts/GNUmakefile
index c84daf8..a6cdd40 100644
--- a/ts/GNUmakefile
+++ b/ts/GNUmakefile
@@ -6,12 +6,15 @@ CONFDIR_exists=$(shell [ -d $(CONFDIR) ] && echo ok)
 all: configure ts
 
 clean:
-	rm ts
+	rm -f ts ts.o
 
 install: \
 	$(BINDIR)/ts \
 
-ts: ts.pl
+ts: %: %.o
+
+
+#	$(LINK.o) $^ $(LOADLIBES) $(LDLIBS) -o $@
 
 %: %.pl customize
 	sh ./customize < $< > $@
diff --git a/ts/ts.c b/ts/ts.c
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..8d96653
--- /dev/null
+++ b/ts/ts.c
@@ -0,0 +1,50 @@
+#include <stdio.h>
+#include <stdlib.h>
+#include <sys/time.h>
+#include <time.h>
+#include <unistd.h>
+
+static char *cmnd;
+
+static void usage(void) {
+    fprintf(stderr, "Usage: %s [-u]\n", cmnd);
+    exit(1);
+}
+
+
+int main(int argc, char **argv) {
+    int c;
+    int use_microseconds = 0;
+    int print_ts = 1;
+
+    cmnd = argv[0];
+
+    while ((c = getopt(argc, argv, "u")) != EOF) {
+	switch (c) {
+	    case 'u':
+		use_microseconds = 1;
+		break;
+	    default:
+		usage();
+	}
+    }
+    while ((c = getchar()) != EOF) {
+	if (print_ts) {
+	    struct timeval tv;
+	    char s[sizeof("yyyy-mm-ddThh:mm:ss")];
+	    gettimeofday(&tv, NULL);
+	    strftime(s, sizeof(s), "%Y-%m-%dT%H:%M:%S",
+		     localtime(&tv.tv_sec));
+	    fputs(s, stdout);
+	    if (use_microseconds) {
+		printf(".%06ld ", (long)tv.tv_usec);
+	    }
+	    putchar(' ');
+	    print_ts = 0;
+	}
+	putchar(c);
+	if (c == '\n') print_ts = 1;
+    }
+    if (!print_ts) putchar('\n');	// force newline at end of output
+    return 0;
+}
diff --git a/ts/ts.pl b/ts/ts.pl
index 0039843..f7440f9 100644
--- a/ts/ts.pl
+++ b/ts/ts.pl
@@ -1,8 +1,19 @@
 #!@@@perl@@@ -wT
 use strict;
 use POSIX;
+use Time::HiRes qw(gettimeofday);
+my $use_microseconds;
+if ($ARGV[0] eq '-u') {
+    $use_microseconds = 1;
+    shift;
+}
 while (<>) {
     chomp;
-    my $now = strftime('%Y-%m-%dT%H:%M:%S', localtime);
-    print "$now $_\n";
+    my ($seconds, $microseconds) = gettimeofday;
+    my $now = strftime('%Y-%m-%dT%H:%M:%S', localtime($seconds));
+    if ($use_microseconds) {
+	printf "%s.%06d %s\n", $now, $microseconds, $_;
+    } else {
+	print "$now $_\n";
+    }
 }