diff --git a/server-ca/daemon_common.py b/server-ca/daemon_common.py
index 42c1f8e1d..80a0cb146 100644
--- a/server-ca/daemon_common.py
+++ b/server-ca/daemon_common.py
@@ -2,9 +2,6 @@
 
 # functions common to the various kinds of daemon
 
-# TODO: define a log function that sends a pubsub message to the
-# logger daemon
-
 import time, binascii
 from Crypto import Random
 
@@ -27,3 +24,9 @@ def random():
 def random_raw():
     """Return 32 random bytes."""
     return Random.get_random_bytes(32)
+
+def log(msg, session = None):
+    if session:
+        r.publish("logs", "%s: %s" % (short(session), msg))
+    else:
+        r.publish("logs", "%s" % session)
diff --git a/server-ca/issue-daemon.py b/server-ca/issue-daemon.py
index c94b90988..36dbb8738 100755
--- a/server-ca/issue-daemon.py
+++ b/server-ca/issue-daemon.py
@@ -42,22 +42,23 @@ def issue(session):
         # session nonetheless died for some reason unrelated to failing
         # challenges before the cert could be issued.  Normally, this
         # should never happen.
-        if debug: print "removing expired (issue-state!?) session", short(session)
+        log("removing expired (issue-state!?) session", session)
         r.lrem("pending-requests", session)
         return
     if r.hget(session, "state") != "issue":
         return
     csr = r.hget(session, "csr")
     names = r.lrange("%s:names" % session, 0, -1)
+    log("attempting to issue certificate for names: %s" % join(names), session)
     with issue_lock:
         cert = CSR.issue(csr, names)
     r.hset(session, "cert", cert)
     if cert:   # once issuing cert succeeded
-        if debug: print "%s: issued certificate for names: %s" % (short(session), ", ".join(names))
+        log("issued certificate for names: %s" % join(names), session)
         r.hset(session, "state", "done")
         # r.lpush("pending-done", session)
     else:       # should not be reached in deployed version
-        if debug: print "issuing for", short(session), "failed"
+        log("issuing cert failed!?", session)
         r.lpush("pending-issue", session)
 
 while True:
diff --git a/trustify/client/logger.py b/trustify/client/logger.py
index 76dcf2752..a989776b2 100644
--- a/trustify/client/logger.py
+++ b/trustify/client/logger.py
@@ -51,19 +51,49 @@ class FileLogger(Logger):
 import dialog
 class NcursesLogger(Logger):
 
-    def __init__(self, firstmessage="", height=18, width=70):
-        self.content = firstmessage
+    def __init__(self, firstmessage="", height=16, width=66):
+        self.lines = []
+        self.all_content = ""
         self.d = dialog.Dialog()
         self.height = height
         self.width = width
-        self.show()
+        self.add(firstmessage)        
 
+    '''
+    Only show the last (self.height) lines;
+    note that lines can wrap at self.width, so 
+    a single line could actually be multiple lines
+    '''
     def add(self, s):
-        self.content += s
+        self.all_content += s
+
+        for line in s.splitlines():
+            # check for lines that would wrap
+            cur_out = line
+            while len(cur_out) > self.width:
+
+                # find first space before self.width chars into cur_out
+                last_space_pos = cur_out.rfind(' ', 0, self.width)
+
+                if (last_space_pos == -1):
+                    # no spaces, just cut them off at whatever
+                    self.lines.append(cur_out[0:self.width])
+                    cur_out = cur_out[self.width:]
+                else:
+                    # cut off at last space
+                    self.lines.append(cur_out[0:last_space_pos])
+                    cur_out = cur_out[last_space_pos+1:]
+            if cur_out != '':
+                self.lines.append(cur_out)
+
+        
+        # show last 16 lines
+        self.content = '\n'.join(self.lines[-self.height:])
         self.show()
 
     def show(self):
-        self.d.infobox(self.content, self.height, self.width)
+        # add the padding around the box
+        self.d.infobox(self.content, self.height+2, self.width+4)
 
     def log(self, level, data):
         self.add(data + "\n")
@@ -117,9 +147,16 @@ if __name__ == "__main__":
     logger.setLogLevel(logger.TRACE)
 
     # Log a message:
-    logger.log(logger.INFO, "logger!")
+    #logger.log(logger.INFO, "logger!")
 
     time.sleep(0.01)
+    logger.info("This is a long line, it's pretty long, butitalso hasbig wordsthat areprobably hardtobreak oninan easywayforthe ncurseslib, sowhatdoes itdo then?")
+    logger.info("aa " + "a"*70 + "B")
+
+    for i in range(20):
+        logger.info("iteration #%d/20" % i)
+        time.sleep(0.3)
+
 
     # Alternatively, use 
     logger.error("errrrr")