diff --git a/.DS_Store b/.DS_Store
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..5008ddf
Binary files /dev/null and b/.DS_Store differ
diff --git a/lifetime b/lifetime
new file mode 100755
index 0000000..1daca05
--- /dev/null
+++ b/lifetime
@@ -0,0 +1,4 @@
+#!/bin/bash
+
+sudo python /home/pi/vestaboard-client-new/lifetime-testing.py
+
diff --git a/lifetime-testing.py b/lifetime-testing.py
new file mode 100755
index 0000000..2818795
--- /dev/null
+++ b/lifetime-testing.py
@@ -0,0 +1,135 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env python
+# -*- coding: utf-8 -*-
+
+import httplib
+import json
+from vbctrl import *
+import random
+import errno
+import os
+import signal
+import time
+
+real_hw = True
+
+def adjust_blanks(s):
+    blank = '░'
+    return s.replace('░',' ')
+
+def get_board_content():
+    conn = httplib.HTTPSConnection('app.vestaboard.com')
+    conn.request('GET', '/api/v1/board/%s/describe' % board_id)
+    response = conn.getresponse()
+    print response.status, response.reason
+    retval = adjust_blanks(response.read())
+    conn.close()
+    return retval
+
+def is_new_content(new, old):
+    retval = False
+    for v in zip(new,old):
+        if v[0] != v[1]:
+            retval = True
+            break
+    return retval
+
+def random_colors():
+    proto = [ 
+	'`%d`%d`%d`%d`%d`%d`%d`%d`%d`%d`%d`%d`%d`%d`%d`%d`%d`%d`%d`%d`%d`%d`%d',
+	'`%d`%d`%d`%d`%d`%d`%d`%d`%d`%d`%d`%d`%d`%d`%d`%d`%d`%d`%d`%d`%d`%d`%d',
+	'`%d`%d`%d`%d`%d`%d`%d`%d`%d`%d`%d`%d`%d`%d`%d`%d`%d`%d`%d`%d`%d`%d`%d',
+	'`%d`%d`%d`%d`%d`%d`%d`%d`%d`%d`%d`%d`%d`%d`%d`%d`%d`%d`%d`%d`%d`%d`%d',
+	'`%d`%d`%d`%d`%d`%d`%d`%d`%d`%d`%d`%d`%d`%d`%d`%d`%d`%d`%d`%d`%d`%d`%d',
+	'`%d`%d`%d`%d`%d`%d`%d`%d`%d`%d`%d`%d`%d`%d`%d`%d`%d`%d`%d`%d`%d`%d`%d',
+	'`%d`%d`%d`%d`%d`%d`%d`%d`%d`%d`%d`%d`%d`%d`%d`%d`%d`%d`%d`%d`%d`%d`%d']
+    lines = []    
+    for p in proto:
+	s = p % (random.randint(1, 5),
+            random.randint(1, 5),
+            random.randint(1, 5),
+            random.randint(1, 5),
+            random.randint(1, 5),
+            random.randint(1, 5),
+            random.randint(1, 5),
+            random.randint(1, 5),
+            random.randint(1, 5),
+            random.randint(1, 5),
+            random.randint(1, 5),
+            random.randint(1, 5),
+            random.randint(1, 5),
+            random.randint(1, 5),
+            random.randint(1, 5),
+            random.randint(1, 5),
+            random.randint(1, 5),
+            random.randint(1, 5),
+            random.randint(1, 5),
+            random.randint(1, 5),
+            random.randint(1, 5),
+            random.randint(1, 5),
+            random.randint(1, 5))
+        lines.append(s)
+    setup_digits(lines, left_to_right_swap=False)
+
+
+board_id = '700df57c-8b0a-4166-8758-b9de6e900cb8'
+
+# ANDREA
+timeouts = 10
+if real_hw:
+    print 'before pause'
+    time.sleep(5)
+    print 'after pause'
+    print 'before init_uart'
+    board_init_uart()
+    print 'after init_uart'
+    print 'before blanks'
+    # ANDREA
+    emc_blanks()
+    print 'after blanks'
+    print 'before 2nd pause'
+    time.sleep(timeouts)
+    print 'after 2nd pause'
+
+last_lines = ['', '', '', '', '', '']
+displayChar = ['A','B','C','D','E','F','G','H','I','J','K','L','M','N','O','P','Q','R','S','T','U','V','W','X','Y','Z','!','@','#','$','&',';','(',')','-','+','=',':','\'','\"','%',',','.','?','`8','/','1','2','3','4','5','6','7','8','9','0','`0','`1','`2','`3','`4','`5','`6','`7']
+displayLines = ['','','','','','']
+data = None
+
+class TimeoutError(Exception):
+    pass
+
+class timeout:
+    def __init__(self, seconds=1, error_message='Timeout'):
+        self.seconds = seconds
+        self.error_message = error_message
+    def handle_timeout(self, signum, frame):
+        raise TimeoutError(self.error_message)
+    def __enter__(self):
+        signal.signal(signal.SIGALRM, self.handle_timeout)
+        signal.alarm(self.seconds)
+    def __exit__(self, type, value, traceback):
+        signal.alarm(0)
+
+while True:
+    for pos in range(64):
+        for j in range(6):
+            displayLines[j] = 22*displayChar[pos]
+        lines = displayLines
+        print 'LINES: '
+        print lines
+
+        print 'before setup digits'
+        # ANDREA
+        with timeout(seconds=2):
+            try:
+                setup_digits(lines, left_to_right_swap=False, real_hw=real_hw)
+                print 'after setup digits'
+                last_lines = lines
+            except:
+                continue
+        print 'Waiting for bits to change...'
+        if pos == 63:
+            time.sleep(2)
+        else:
+            time.sleep(4.5)
+        print 'Fetching message...'