diff --git a/archrepo2/lib/nicelogger.py b/archrepo2/lib/nicelogger.py
index 73db677..a173563 100644
--- a/archrepo2/lib/nicelogger.py
+++ b/archrepo2/lib/nicelogger.py
@@ -1,3 +1,9 @@
+'''
+A Tornado-inspired logging formatter, with displayed time with millisecond accuracy
+
+FYI: pyftpdlib also has a Tornado-style logger.
+'''
+
 import sys
 import time
 import logging
@@ -9,7 +15,7 @@ class TornadoLogFormatter(logging.Formatter):
     if color:
       import curses
       curses.setupterm()
-      if sys.hexversion < 50463728:
+      if sys.hexversion < 0x30203f0:
         fg_color = str(curses.tigetstr("setaf") or
                    curses.tigetstr("setf") or "", "ascii")
       else:
@@ -23,6 +29,8 @@ class TornadoLogFormatter(logging.Formatter):
                      "ascii"),
         logging.ERROR: str(curses.tparm(fg_color, 1), # Red
                      "ascii"),
+        logging.CRITICAL: str(curses.tparm(fg_color, 9), # Bright Red
+                     "ascii"),
       }
       self._normal = str(curses.tigetstr("sgr0"), "ascii")
 
@@ -47,23 +55,30 @@ class TornadoLogFormatter(logging.Formatter):
       formatted = formatted.rstrip() + "\n" + record.exc_text
     return formatted.replace("\n", "\n    ")
 
-def enable_pretty_logging(level=logging.DEBUG):
+def enable_pretty_logging(level=logging.DEBUG, handler=None, color=None):
+  '''
+  handler: specify a handler instead of default StreamHandler
+  color:   boolean, force color to be on / off. Default to be on only when
+           ``handler`` isn't specified and the term supports color
+  '''
   logger = logging.getLogger()
-  h = logging.StreamHandler()
-  formatter = logging.Formatter('%(asctime)s:%(levelname)-7s:%(name)-12s:%(message)s')
-  try:
-    import curses
+  if handler is None:
+    h = logging.StreamHandler()
+  else:
+    h = handler
+  if color is None:
     color = False
-    curses.setupterm()
-    if curses.tigetnum("colors") > 0:
-      color = True
-    formatter = TornadoLogFormatter(color=color)
-  except:
-    import traceback
-    traceback.print_exc()
-  finally:
-    h.setLevel(level)
-    h.setFormatter(formatter)
-    logger.setLevel(level)
-    logger.addHandler(h)
-
+    if handler is None and sys.stderr.isatty():
+      try:
+        import curses
+        curses.setupterm()
+        if curses.tigetnum("colors") > 0:
+          color = True
+      except:
+        import traceback
+        traceback.print_exc()
+  formatter = TornadoLogFormatter(color=color)
+  h.setLevel(level)
+  h.setFormatter(formatter)
+  logger.setLevel(level)
+  logger.addHandler(h)