Chris Dolan

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<root>
<count name="curCount" timestamp="Thu, 07 Jul 2005 23:16:00 GMT">485066974</count>
<count name="preCount" timestamp="Thu, 07 Jul 2005 23:11:00 GMT">485060489</count>
</root>

Retrieving http://www.apple.com/itunes/external_counter.xml...
Rate: 23.19 songs/sec
Predicted count right now: 485173522 (Thu Jul  7 19:35:14 2005 CDT)
485,200,000   Thu Jul  7 19:54:15 2005 CDT
485,300,000   Thu Jul  7 21:06:07 2005 CDT
485,400,000   Thu Jul  7 22:17:58 2005 CDT
485,500,000   Thu Jul  7 23:29:50 2005 CDT
485,600,000   Fri Jul  8 00:41:41 2005 CDT
485,700,000   Fri Jul  8 01:53:33 2005 CDT
485,800,000   Fri Jul  8 03:05:25 2005 CDT
485,900,000   Fri Jul  8 04:17:16 2005 CDT
486,000,000   Fri Jul  8 05:29:08 2005 CDT
486,100,000   Fri Jul  8 06:40:59 2005 CDT
486,200,000   Fri Jul  8 07:52:51 2005 CDT
486,300,000   Fri Jul  8 09:04:43 2005 CDT
486,400,000   Fri Jul  8 10:16:34 2005 CDT
486,500,000   Fri Jul  8 11:28:26 2005 CDT
486,600,000   Fri Jul  8 12:40:17 2005 CDT
486,700,000   Fri Jul  8 13:52:09 2005 CDT
486,800,000   Fri Jul  8 15:04:00 2005 CDT
486,900,000   Fri Jul  8 16:15:52 2005 CDT
487,000,000   Fri Jul  8 17:27:44 2005 CDT
487,100,000   Fri Jul  8 18:39:35 2005 CDT
487,200,000   Fri Jul  8 19:51:27 2005 CDT
487,300,000   Fri Jul  8 21:03:18 2005 CDT
487,400,000   Fri Jul  8 22:15:10 2005 CDT
487,500,000   Fri Jul  8 23:27:02 2005 CDT
487,600,000   Sat Jul  9 00:38:53 2005 CDT
487,700,000   Sat Jul  9 01:50:45 2005 CDT
487,800,000   Sat Jul  9 03:02:36 2005 CDT
487,900,000   Sat Jul  9 04:14:28 2005 CDT
488,000,000   Sat Jul  9 05:26:19 2005 CDT
488,100,000   Sat Jul  9 06:38:11 2005 CDT
488,200,000   Sat Jul  9 07:50:03 2005 CDT
488,300,000   Sat Jul  9 09:01:54 2005 CDT
488,400,000   Sat Jul  9 10:13:46 2005 CDT
488,500,000   Sat Jul  9 11:25:37 2005 CDT
488,600,000   Sat Jul  9 12:37:29 2005 CDT
488,700,000   Sat Jul  9 13:49:21 2005 CDT
488,800,000   Sat Jul  9 15:01:12 2005 CDT
488,900,000   Sat Jul  9 16:13:04 2005 CDT
489,000,000   Sat Jul  9 17:24:55 2005 CDT
489,100,000   Sat Jul  9 18:36:47 2005 CDT
489,200,000   Sat Jul  9 19:48:38 2005 CDT
489,300,000   Sat Jul  9 21:00:30 2005 CDT
489,400,000   Sat Jul  9 22:12:22 2005 CDT
489,500,000   Sat Jul  9 23:24:13 2005 CDT
489,600,000   Sun Jul 10 00:36:05 2005 CDT
489,700,000   Sun Jul 10 01:47:56 2005 CDT
489,800,000   Sun Jul 10 02:59:48 2005 CDT
489,900,000   Sun Jul 10 04:11:40 2005 CDT
490,000,000   Sun Jul 10 05:23:31 2005 CDT
490,100,000   Sun Jul 10 06:35:23 2005 CDT
490,200,000   Sun Jul 10 07:47:14 2005 CDT
490,300,000   Sun Jul 10 08:59:06 2005 CDT
490,400,000   Sun Jul 10 10:10:57 2005 CDT
490,500,000   Sun Jul 10 11:22:49 2005 CDT
490,600,000   Sun Jul 10 12:34:41 2005 CDT
490,700,000   Sun Jul 10 13:46:32 2005 CDT
490,800,000   Sun Jul 10 14:58:24 2005 CDT
490,900,000   Sun Jul 10 16:10:15 2005 CDT
491,000,000   Sun Jul 10 17:22:07 2005 CDT
491,100,000   Sun Jul 10 18:33:59 2005 CDT
491,200,000   Sun Jul 10 19:45:50 2005 CDT
491,300,000   Sun Jul 10 20:57:42 2005 CDT
491,400,000   Sun Jul 10 22:09:33 2005 CDT
491,500,000   Sun Jul 10 23:21:25 2005 CDT
491,600,000   Mon Jul 11 00:33:16 2005 CDT
491,700,000   Mon Jul 11 01:45:08 2005 CDT
491,800,000   Mon Jul 11 02:57:00 2005 CDT
491,900,000   Mon Jul 11 04:08:51 2005 CDT
492,000,000   Mon Jul 11 05:20:43 2005 CDT
492,100,000   Mon Jul 11 06:32:34 2005 CDT
492,200,000   Mon Jul 11 07:44:26 2005 CDT
492,300,000   Mon Jul 11 08:56:18 2005 CDT
492,400,000   Mon Jul 11 10:08:09 2005 CDT
492,500,000   Mon Jul 11 11:20:01 2005 CDT
492,600,000   Mon Jul 11 12:31:52 2005 CDT
492,700,000   Mon Jul 11 13:43:44 2005 CDT
492,800,000   Mon Jul 11 14:55:35 2005 CDT
492,900,000   Mon Jul 11 16:07:27 2005 CDT
493,000,000   Mon Jul 11 17:19:19 2005 CDT
493,100,000   Mon Jul 11 18:31:10 2005 CDT
493,200,000   Mon Jul 11 19:43:02 2005 CDT
493,300,000   Mon Jul 11 20:54:53 2005 CDT
493,400,000   Mon Jul 11 22:06:45 2005 CDT
493,500,000   Mon Jul 11 23:18:37 2005 CDT
493,600,000   Tue Jul 12 00:30:28 2005 CDT
493,700,000   Tue Jul 12 01:42:20 2005 CDT
493,800,000   Tue Jul 12 02:54:11 2005 CDT
493,900,000   Tue Jul 12 04:06:03 2005 CDT
494,000,000   Tue Jul 12 05:17:54 2005 CDT
494,100,000   Tue Jul 12 06:29:46 2005 CDT
494,200,000   Tue Jul 12 07:41:38 2005 CDT
494,300,000   Tue Jul 12 08:53:29 2005 CDT
494,400,000   Tue Jul 12 10:05:21 2005 CDT
494,500,000   Tue Jul 12 11:17:12 2005 CDT
494,600,000   Tue Jul 12 12:29:04 2005 CDT
494,700,000   Tue Jul 12 13:40:56 2005 CDT
494,800,000   Tue Jul 12 14:52:47 2005 CDT
494,900,000   Tue Jul 12 16:04:39 2005 CDT
495,000,000   Tue Jul 12 17:16:30 2005 CDT
495,100,000   Tue Jul 12 18:28:22 2005 CDT
495,200,000   Tue Jul 12 19:40:13 2005 CDT
495,300,000   Tue Jul 12 20:52:05 2005 CDT
495,400,000   Tue Jul 12 22:03:57 2005 CDT
495,500,000   Tue Jul 12 23:15:48 2005 CDT
495,600,000   Wed Jul 13 00:27:40 2005 CDT
495,700,000   Wed Jul 13 01:39:31 2005 CDT
495,800,000   Wed Jul 13 02:51:23 2005 CDT
495,900,000   Wed Jul 13 04:03:15 2005 CDT
496,000,000   Wed Jul 13 05:15:06 2005 CDT
496,100,000   Wed Jul 13 06:26:58 2005 CDT
496,200,000   Wed Jul 13 07:38:49 2005 CDT
496,300,000   Wed Jul 13 08:50:41 2005 CDT
496,400,000   Wed Jul 13 10:02:32 2005 CDT
496,500,000   Wed Jul 13 11:14:24 2005 CDT
496,600,000   Wed Jul 13 12:26:16 2005 CDT
496,700,000   Wed Jul 13 13:38:07 2005 CDT
496,800,000   Wed Jul 13 14:49:59 2005 CDT
496,900,000   Wed Jul 13 16:01:50 2005 CDT
497,000,000   Wed Jul 13 17:13:42 2005 CDT
497,100,000   Wed Jul 13 18:25:34 2005 CDT
497,200,000   Wed Jul 13 19:37:25 2005 CDT
497,300,000   Wed Jul 13 20:49:17 2005 CDT
497,400,000   Wed Jul 13 22:01:08 2005 CDT
497,500,000   Wed Jul 13 23:13:00 2005 CDT
497,600,000   Thu Jul 14 00:24:51 2005 CDT
497,700,000   Thu Jul 14 01:36:43 2005 CDT
497,800,000   Thu Jul 14 02:48:35 2005 CDT
497,900,000   Thu Jul 14 04:00:26 2005 CDT
498,000,000   Thu Jul 14 05:12:18 2005 CDT
498,100,000   Thu Jul 14 06:24:09 2005 CDT
498,200,000   Thu Jul 14 07:36:01 2005 CDT
498,300,000   Thu Jul 14 08:47:53 2005 CDT
498,400,000   Thu Jul 14 09:59:44 2005 CDT
498,500,000   Thu Jul 14 11:11:36 2005 CDT
498,600,000   Thu Jul 14 12:23:27 2005 CDT
498,700,000   Thu Jul 14 13:35:19 2005 CDT
498,800,000   Thu Jul 14 14:47:10 2005 CDT
498,900,000   Thu Jul 14 15:59:02 2005 CDT
499,000,000   Thu Jul 14 17:10:54 2005 CDT
499,100,000   Thu Jul 14 18:22:45 2005 CDT
499,200,000   Thu Jul 14 19:34:37 2005 CDT
499,300,000   Thu Jul 14 20:46:28 2005 CDT
499,400,000   Thu Jul 14 21:58:20 2005 CDT
499,500,000   Thu Jul 14 23:10:12 2005 CDT
499,600,000   Fri Jul 15 00:22:03 2005 CDT
499,700,000   Fri Jul 15 01:33:55 2005 CDT
499,800,000   Fri Jul 15 02:45:46 2005 CDT
499,900,000   Fri Jul 15 03:57:38 2005 CDT
500,000,000   Fri Jul 15 05:09:29 2005 CDT

#!/usr/bin/perl -w

use strict;
use LWP::Simple qw(get);
use CAM::XML;
use DateTime::Format::Strptime;

# Constants
my $url = "http://www.apple.com/itunes/external_counter.xml";

# Fetch, parse and extract tags from the XML
print "Retrieving $url...\n";
my $xmlstr = get($url) || die "Failed to retrive the XML";
my $xml = CAM::XML->parse(-string => $xmlstr) || die "Failed to parse the XML";
my @nodes = $xml->getNodes(-tag => "count");
die "Not enough data in the XML\n" unless (@nodes >= 2);

# Parse the times and counts out of the XML data
my $parser = DateTime::Format::Strptime->new(pattern => '%a, %d %b %Y %H:%M:%S %Z');
my ($count1, $count2, $time1, $time2);
foreach my $node (@nodes)
{
   my $timestr = $node->getAttribute("timestamp");
   my $timestamp = $parser->parse_datetime($timestr)->epoch;
   my $count = $node->getInnerText();
   if ($node->getAttribute("name") =~ /cur/)
   {
      $time2 = $timestamp;
      $count2 = $count;
   }
   else
   {
      $time1 = $timestamp;
      $count1 = $count;
   }
}
die "Failed to understand the XML\n" unless ($count1 && $count2 && $time1 && $time2);

# Compute the songs per second
my $rate = ($count2-$count1)/($time2-$time1);
printf "    Rate: %.2f songs/sec\n", $rate;

# Extrapolate to now
my $now = int($rate * (time()-$time2) + $count2);
print "    Predicted count right now: $now (".localtime()." CDT)\n";

# Extrapolate to other prize times
for (my $c=485000000; $c<=500000000; $c+=100000)
{
   next if ($c < $count2); # these have already passed...
   my $t = ($c-$count2)/$rate + $time2;
   # Insert commas
   my $cstr = $c;
   1 while ($cstr =~ s/(\d)(\d{3}(?:,.*|))$/$1,$2/);
   print "    $cstr   ".localtime($t)." CDT\n";
}

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