diff --git a/cpu-miner.c b/cpu-miner.c
index 38ae4d6..ecff875 100644
--- a/cpu-miner.c
+++ b/cpu-miner.c
@@ -171,6 +171,7 @@ bool want_stratum = true;
 bool have_stratum = false;
 static bool submit_old = false;
 bool use_syslog = false;
+bool use_colors = false;
 static bool opt_background = false;
 static bool opt_quiet = false;
 static int opt_retries = -1;
@@ -261,6 +262,7 @@ Options:\n\
       --no-longpoll     disable X-Long-Polling support\n\
       --no-stratum      disable X-Stratum support\n\
   -q, --quiet           disable per-thread hashmeter output\n\
+  -C, --color           enable colored output\n\
   -D, --debug           enable debug output\n\
   -P, --protocol-dump   verbose dump of protocol-level activities\n"
 #ifdef HAVE_SYSLOG_H
@@ -286,7 +288,7 @@ static char const short_options[] =
 #ifdef HAVE_SYSLOG_H
 	"S"
 #endif
-	"a:c:Dhp:Px:qr:R:s:t:T:o:u:O:Vd:f:mv:";
+	"a:c:CDhp:Px:qr:R:s:t:T:o:u:O:Vd:f:mv:";
 
 static struct option const options[] = {
 	{ "algo", 1, NULL, 'a' },
@@ -297,6 +299,7 @@ static struct option const options[] = {
 	{ "cputest", 0, NULL, 1006 },
 	{ "cert", 1, NULL, 1001 },
 	{ "config", 1, NULL, 'c' },
+	{ "color", 0, NULL, 'C' },
 	{ "debug", 0, NULL, 'D' },
 	{ "help", 0, NULL, 'h' },
 	{ "no-longpoll", 0, NULL, 1003 },
@@ -403,12 +406,14 @@ static void share_result(int result, const char *reason)
 	pthread_mutex_unlock(&stats_lock);
 	
 	sprintf(s, hashrate >= 1e6 ? "%.0f" : "%.2f", 1e-3 * hashrate);
-	applog(LOG_INFO, "accepted: %lu/%lu (%.2f%%), %s khash/s %s",
-		   accepted_count,
-		   accepted_count + rejected_count,
-		   100. * accepted_count / (accepted_count + rejected_count),
-		   s,
-		   result ? "(yay!!!)" : "(booooo)");
+	applog(LOG_NOTICE, "accepted: %lu/%lu (%.2f%%), %s khash/s %s",
+			accepted_count,
+			accepted_count + rejected_count,
+			100. * accepted_count / (accepted_count + rejected_count),
+			s,
+			use_colors ?
+				(result ? CL_GRN "(yay!!!)" : CL_RED "(booooo)")
+			:	(result ? "(yay!!!)" : "(booooo)"));
 
 	if (opt_debug && reason)
 		applog(LOG_DEBUG, "DEBUG: reject reason: %s", reason);
@@ -595,8 +600,9 @@ static bool workio_submit_work(struct workio_cmd *wc, CURL *curl)
 		}
 
 		/* pause, then restart work-request loop */
-		applog(LOG_ERR, "...retry after %d seconds",
-			opt_fail_pause);
+		if (!opt_benchmark)
+			applog(LOG_ERR, "...retry after %d seconds", opt_fail_pause);
+
 		sleep(opt_fail_pause);
 	}
 
@@ -820,8 +826,8 @@ static void *miner_thread(void *userdata)
 	 * of the number of CPUs */
 	if (num_processors > 1 && opt_n_threads % num_processors == 0) {
 		if (!opt_quiet)
-			applog(LOG_INFO, "Binding thread %d to cpu %d",
-			       thr_id, thr_id % num_processors);
+			applog(LOG_DEBUG, "Binding thread %d to cpu %d", thr_id,
+					thr_id % num_processors);
 		affine_to_cpu(thr_id, thr_id % num_processors);
 	}
 
@@ -985,8 +991,8 @@ static void *miner_thread(void *userdata)
 			for (i = 0; i < opt_n_threads && thr_hashrates[i]; i++)
 				hashrate += thr_hashrates[i];
 			if (i == opt_n_threads) {
-				sprintf(s, hashrate >= 1e6 ? "%.0f" : "%.2f", 1e-3 * hashrate);
-				applog(LOG_INFO, "Total: %s khash/s", s);
+				sprintf(s, hashrate >= 1e6 ? "%.0f" : "%.2f", hashrate / 1000.);
+				applog(LOG_NOTICE, "Total: %s khash/s", s);
 			}
 		}
 
@@ -1066,7 +1072,7 @@ start:
 			pthread_mutex_lock(&g_work_lock);
 			if (work_decode(json_object_get(val, "result"), &g_work)) {
 				if (opt_debug)
-					applog(LOG_DEBUG, "DEBUG: got new work");
+					applog(LOG_BLUE, "LONGPOLL pushed new work");
 				time(&g_work_time);
 				restart_threads();
 			}
@@ -1158,7 +1164,8 @@ static void *stratum_thread(void *userdata)
 					tq_push(thr_info[work_thr_id].q, NULL);
 					goto out;
 				}
-				applog(LOG_ERR, "...retry after %d seconds", opt_fail_pause);
+				if (!opt_benchmark)
+					applog(LOG_ERR, "...retry after %d seconds", opt_fail_pause);
 				sleep(opt_fail_pause);
 			}
 		}
@@ -1170,7 +1177,7 @@ static void *stratum_thread(void *userdata)
 			time(&g_work_time);
 			pthread_mutex_unlock(&g_work_lock);
 			if (stratum.job.clean) {
-				if (!opt_quiet) applog(LOG_INFO, "Stratum detected new block");
+				if (!opt_quiet) applog(LOG_BLUE, "Stratum detected new block");
 				restart_threads();
 			}
 		}
@@ -1245,6 +1252,9 @@ static void parse_arg (int key, char *arg)
 		}
 		break;
 	}
+	case 'C':
+		use_colors = true;
+		break;
 	case 'q':
 		opt_quiet = true;
 		break;
@@ -1428,6 +1438,9 @@ static void parse_arg (int key, char *arg)
 	default:
 		show_usage_and_exit(1);
 	}
+
+	if (use_syslog)
+		use_colors = false;
 }
 
 static void parse_config(void)
diff --git a/miner.h b/miner.h
index 2b0dad1..9d24980 100644
--- a/miner.h
+++ b/miner.h
@@ -53,6 +53,7 @@ void *alloca (size_t);
 
 #ifdef HAVE_SYSLOG_H
 #include <syslog.h>
+#define LOG_BLUE 0x10 /* unique value */
 #else
 enum {
 	LOG_ERR,
@@ -60,6 +61,8 @@ enum {
 	LOG_NOTICE,
 	LOG_INFO,
 	LOG_DEBUG,
+	/* custom notices */
+	LOG_BLUE = 0x10,
 };
 #endif
 
@@ -284,6 +287,7 @@ extern char *opt_cert;
 extern char *opt_proxy;
 extern long opt_proxy_type;
 extern bool use_syslog;
+extern bool use_colors;
 extern pthread_mutex_t applog_lock;
 extern struct thr_info *thr_info;
 extern int longpoll_thr_id;
@@ -292,6 +296,33 @@ extern struct work_restart *work_restart;
 extern bool opt_trust_pool;
 extern uint16_t opt_vote;
 
+#define CL_N    "\x1B[0m"
+#define CL_RED  "\x1B[31m"
+#define CL_GRN  "\x1B[32m"
+#define CL_YLW  "\x1B[33m"
+#define CL_BLU  "\x1B[34m"
+#define CL_MAG  "\x1B[35m"
+#define CL_CYN  "\x1B[36m"
+
+#define CL_BLK  "\x1B[22;30m" /* black */
+#define CL_RD2  "\x1B[22;31m" /* red */
+#define CL_GR2  "\x1B[22;32m" /* green */
+#define CL_BRW  "\x1B[22;33m" /* brown */
+#define CL_BL2  "\x1B[22;34m" /* blue */
+#define CL_MA2  "\x1B[22;35m" /* magenta */
+#define CL_CY2  "\x1B[22;36m" /* cyan */
+#define CL_SIL  "\x1B[22;37m" /* gray */
+
+#define CL_GRY  "\x1B[01;30m" /* dark gray */
+#define CL_LRD  "\x1B[01;31m" /* light red */
+#define CL_LGR  "\x1B[01;32m" /* light green */
+#define CL_YL2  "\x1B[01;33m" /* yellow */
+#define CL_LBL  "\x1B[01;34m" /* light blue */
+#define CL_LMA  "\x1B[01;35m" /* light magenta */
+#define CL_LCY  "\x1B[01;36m" /* light cyan */
+
+#define CL_WHT  "\x1B[01;37m" /* white */
+
 extern void applog(int prio, const char *fmt, ...);
 extern json_t *json_rpc_call(CURL *curl, const char *url, const char *userpass,
 	const char *rpc_req, bool, bool, int *);
diff --git a/util.c b/util.c
index 9ccbbdf..775a9d8 100644
--- a/util.c
+++ b/util.c
@@ -77,7 +77,14 @@ void applog(int prio, const char *fmt, ...)
 		va_list ap2;
 		char *buf;
 		int len;
-		
+
+		/* custom colors to syslog prio */
+		if (prio > LOG_DEBUG) {
+			switch (prio) {
+				case LOG_BLUE: prio = LOG_NOTICE; break;
+			}
+		}
+
 		va_copy(ap2, ap);
 		len = vsnprintf(NULL, 0, fmt, ap2) + 1;
 		va_end(ap2);
@@ -89,6 +96,7 @@ void applog(int prio, const char *fmt, ...)
 	if (0) {}
 #endif
 	else {
+		const char* color = "";
 		char *f;
 		int len;
 		time_t now;
@@ -101,16 +109,34 @@ void applog(int prio, const char *fmt, ...)
 		memcpy(&tm, tm_p, sizeof(tm));
 		pthread_mutex_unlock(&applog_lock);
 
-		len = (int)(40 + strlen(fmt) + 2);
-		f = (char*)alloca(len);
-		sprintf(f, "[%d-%02d-%02d %02d:%02d:%02d] %s\n",
+		switch (prio) {
+			case LOG_ERR:     color = CL_RED; break;
+			case LOG_WARNING: color = CL_YLW; break;
+			case LOG_NOTICE:  color = CL_WHT; break;
+			case LOG_INFO:    color = ""; break;
+			case LOG_DEBUG:   color = ""; break;
+
+			case LOG_BLUE:
+				prio = LOG_NOTICE;
+				color = CL_CYN;
+				break;
+		}
+		if (!use_colors)
+			color = "";
+
+		len = 40 + strlen(fmt) + 2;
+		f = alloca(len);
+		sprintf(f, "[%d-%02d-%02d %02d:%02d:%02d]%s %s%s\n",
 			tm.tm_year + 1900,
 			tm.tm_mon + 1,
 			tm.tm_mday,
 			tm.tm_hour,
 			tm.tm_min,
 			tm.tm_sec,
-			fmt);
+			color,
+			fmt,
+			use_colors ? CL_N : ""
+		);
 		pthread_mutex_lock(&applog_lock);
 		vfprintf(stderr, f, ap);	/* atomic write to stderr */
 		fflush(stderr);