--- a/snd.py
+++ b/snd.py
@@ -1,15 +1,12 @@
-""" Record a few seconds of audio and save to a WAVE file. 
+""" Record a few seconds of audio and save to a WAVE file.
 Based on http://stackoverflow.com/questions/892199/detect-record-audio-in-python/6743593#6743593
 """
 
 import pyaudio
 import wave
 import sys
-import audioop # http://docs.python.org/library/audioop
-from os.path import exists
 from array import array
 from struct import unpack, pack
-import threading
 from pydispatch import dispatcher
 
 THRESHOLD = 500
@@ -21,7 +18,7 @@
 elif sys.platform.startswith('win32'):
        CHANNELS = 1
 
-MAX_SILENT = 60
+MAX_SILENT = 80
 
 def is_silent(L):
     "Returns `True` if below the 'silent' threshold"
@@ -72,16 +69,16 @@
 
 def record():
     """
-    Record a word or words from the microphone and 
+    Record a word or words from the microphone and
     return the data as an array of signed shorts.
 
-    Normalizes the audio, trims silence from the 
-    start and end, and pads with 0.5 seconds of 
-    blank sound to make sure VLC et al can play 
+    Normalizes the audio, trims silence from the
+    start and end, and pads with 0.5 seconds of
+    blank sound to make sure VLC et al can play
     it without getting chopped off.
     """
     p = pyaudio.PyAudio()
-    stream = p.open(format=FORMAT, channels=CHANNELS, rate=RATE, 
+    stream = p.open(format=FORMAT, channels=CHANNELS, rate=RATE,
                     input=True,
                     frames_per_buffer=CHUNK_SIZE)
 
@@ -110,6 +107,8 @@
             dispatcher.send( signal='SND_STARTED')
             snd_started = True
             print snd_started
+        if snd_started and not silent:
+	    num_silent = 0
         if snd_started:
             LRtn.extend(L)
         if snd_started and num_silent > MAX_SILENT: