diff --git a/example1/example1 b/example1/example1
index 625385e..5385b42 100755
Binary files a/example1/example1 and b/example1/example1 differ
diff --git a/example1/main.go b/example1/main.go
index 4a36503..be88ab4 100644
--- a/example1/main.go
+++ b/example1/main.go
@@ -3,24 +3,41 @@ package main
 /*
 import "log"
 import "reflect"
-import "os"
 */
 
+import "os"
+
 // import "github.com/davecgh/go-spew/spew"
 
 import "git.wit.com/jcarr/shell"
 
 func main() {
-	shell.SpewOn()
 
 	shell.Run("ls /tmp")
 
-	shell.Run("ping -c 4 localhost")
+	shell.Run("ping -c 3 localhost")
 
 	// slow down the polling to every 2 seconds
 	shell.SetDelayInMsec(2000)
+
 	shell.Run("ping -c 4 localhost")
 
+	// capture ping output into a file
+	fout, _ := os.Create("/tmp/example1.ping.stdout")
+	ferr, _ := os.Create("/tmp/example1.ping.stderr")
+	shell.SetStdout(fout)
+	shell.SetStderr(ferr)
+
+	shell.Run("ping -c 5 localhost")
+
+	// turn out process exit debugging
+	shell.SpewOn()
+
+	fout, _ = os.Create("/tmp/example1.fail.stdout")
+	ferr, _ = os.Create("/tmp/example1.fail.stderr")
+	shell.SetStdout(fout)
+	shell.SetStderr(ferr)
+
 	// TODO: this might not be working
 	// check error handling
 	shell.Run("ls /tmpthisisnothere")
diff --git a/shell.go b/shell.go
index bfdac21..b1f7d10 100644
--- a/shell.go
+++ b/shell.go
@@ -90,8 +90,6 @@ func Run(cmdline string) int {
 	newreader := bufio.NewReader(pstdout)
 	nbr := nbreader.NewNBReader(newreader, 1024)
 
-	// nbrerr := nbreader.NewNBReader(newerrreader, 1024)
-
 	tmp := bufio.NewReader(pstderr)
 	go NonBlockingReader(tmp, shellStderr)
 
@@ -113,15 +111,19 @@ func Run(cmdline string) int {
 				log.Println("Read() count = ", count, "err = ", err)
 				oneByte = make([]byte, 1024)
 				count, err = nbr.Read(oneByte)
-				f.Write([]byte(string(oneByte)))
+				log.Println("STDOUT: count = ", count)
+				f.Write(oneByte[0:count])
 				f.Flush()
 				empty = true
 				dead = true
 			}
-			f.Write([]byte(string(oneByte)))
-			f.Flush()
+			// f.Write([]byte(string(oneByte)))
 			if (count == 0) {
 				empty = true
+			} else {
+				log.Println("STDOUT: count = ", count)
+				f.Write(oneByte[0:count])
+				f.Flush()
 			}
 		}
 
@@ -180,8 +182,10 @@ func NonBlockingReader(buffReader *bufio.Reader, writeFileHandle *os.File) {
 					log.Println("STDERR: totalCount = ", totalCount)
 					totalCount = 0
 				}
+			} else {
+				log.Println("STDERR: count = ", count)
+				writeFileHandle.Write(oneByte[0:count])
 			}
-			writeFileHandle.Write([]byte(string(oneByte)))
 		}
 	}
 }