diff --git a/core/util.inc.php b/core/util.inc.php
index 98f17866..71a317f3 100644
--- a/core/util.inc.php
+++ b/core/util.inc.php
@@ -129,34 +129,9 @@ function to_shorthand_int($int) {
  * @retval string
  */
 function autodate($date, $html=true) {
-	global $config;
-
-	$format = $config->get_string('autodate_format', "F j, Y");
-	$seconds = time() - strtotime($date);
-	$ago = seconds_to_time($seconds) . " ago";
-	$on = "on " . date($format, strtotime($date));
-
-	if($config->get_bool('use_autodate', true)) {
-		return ($html ? "<span title='$on'>$ago</span>" : $ago);
-	}
-	else {
-		return $on;
-	}
-}
-
-/**
- * Turn a number of seconds into a vague human timespan, eg 142 -> "2 minutes"
- *
- * @retval string
- */
-function seconds_to_time($seconds) {
-	if($seconds<60) return $seconds . " second" . plural($seconds); $seconds = round($seconds/60);
-	if($seconds<60) return $seconds . " minute" . plural($seconds); $seconds = round($seconds/60);
-	if($seconds<24) return $seconds . " hour" . plural($seconds);   $seconds = round($seconds/24);
-	if($seconds<7)  return $seconds . " day" . plural($seconds);    $seconds = round($seconds/7);
-	if($seconds<4)  return $seconds . " week" . plural($seconds);   $seconds = round($seconds/4);
-	if($seconds<12) return $seconds . " month" . plural($seconds);  $seconds = round($seconds/12);
-	                return $seconds . " year" . plural($seconds);
+	$cpu = date('c', strtotime($date));
+	$hum = date('F j, Y', strtotime($date));
+	return ($html ? "<time datetime='$cpu'>$hum</time>" : $hum);
 }
 
 
diff --git a/ext/setup/main.php b/ext/setup/main.php
index f1885568..7e7337e8 100644
--- a/ext/setup/main.php
+++ b/ext/setup/main.php
@@ -169,10 +169,8 @@ class Setup extends SimpleExtension {
 		$config->set_default_string("main_page", "post/list");
 		$config->set_default_string("base_href", "./index.php?q=");
 		$config->set_default_string("theme", "default");
-		$config->set_default_bool("use_autodate", true);
 		$config->set_default_bool("word_wrap", true);
 		$config->set_default_bool("comment_captcha", false);
-		$config->set_default_string("autodate_format", "F j, Y");
 		// Automatic caching is disabled by default
 		$config->set_default_string("autocache_location", "data/cache");
 		$config->set_default_bool("autocache_css", false);
diff --git a/ext/user/main.php b/ext/user/main.php
index 0b1073fa..fc0da212 100644
--- a/ext/user/main.php
+++ b/ext/user/main.php
@@ -166,8 +166,8 @@ class UserPage extends SimpleExtension {
 	public function onUserPageBuilding(Event $event) {
 		global $page, $user, $config;
 
-		$h_join_date = html_escape($event->display_user->join_date);
-		$event->add_stats("Join date: $h_join_date", 10);
+		$h_join_date = autodate($event->display_user->join_date);
+		$event->add_stats("Joined: $h_join_date", 10);
 
 		$av = $event->display_user->get_avatar_html();
 		if($av) $event->add_stats($av, 0);
diff --git a/lib/jquery.timeago.js b/lib/jquery.timeago.js
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..24ac69c7
--- /dev/null
+++ b/lib/jquery.timeago.js
@@ -0,0 +1,146 @@
+/**
+ * Timeago is a jQuery plugin that makes it easy to support automatically
+ * updating fuzzy timestamps (e.g. "4 minutes ago" or "about 1 day ago").
+ *
+ * @name timeago
+ * @version 0.10.0
+ * @requires jQuery v1.2.3+
+ * @author Ryan McGeary
+ * @license MIT License - http://www.opensource.org/licenses/mit-license.php
+ *
+ * For usage and examples, visit:
+ * http://timeago.yarp.com/
+ *
+ * Copyright (c) 2008-2011, Ryan McGeary (ryanonjavascript -[at]- mcgeary [*dot*] org)
+ */
+(function($) {
+  $.timeago = function(timestamp) {
+    if (timestamp instanceof Date) {
+      return inWords(timestamp);
+    } else if (typeof timestamp === "string") {
+      return inWords($.timeago.parse(timestamp));
+    } else {
+      return inWords($.timeago.datetime(timestamp));
+    }
+  };
+  var $t = $.timeago;
+
+  $.extend($.timeago, {
+    settings: {
+      refreshMillis: 60000,
+      allowFuture: false,
+      strings: {
+        prefixAgo: null,
+        prefixFromNow: null,
+        suffixAgo: "ago",
+        suffixFromNow: "from now",
+        seconds: "less than a minute",
+        minute: "about a minute",
+        minutes: "%d minutes",
+        hour: "about an hour",
+        hours: "about %d hours",
+        day: "a day",
+        days: "%d days",
+        month: "about a month",
+        months: "%d months",
+        year: "about a year",
+        years: "%d years",
+        numbers: []
+      }
+    },
+    inWords: function(distanceMillis) {
+      var $l = this.settings.strings;
+      var prefix = $l.prefixAgo;
+      var suffix = $l.suffixAgo;
+      if (this.settings.allowFuture) {
+        if (distanceMillis < 0) {
+          prefix = $l.prefixFromNow;
+          suffix = $l.suffixFromNow;
+        }
+      }
+
+      var seconds = Math.abs(distanceMillis) / 1000;
+      var minutes = seconds / 60;
+      var hours = minutes / 60;
+      var days = hours / 24;
+      var years = days / 365;
+
+      function substitute(stringOrFunction, number) {
+        var string = $.isFunction(stringOrFunction) ? stringOrFunction(number, distanceMillis) : stringOrFunction;
+        var value = ($l.numbers && $l.numbers[number]) || number;
+        return string.replace(/%d/i, value);
+      }
+
+      var words = seconds < 45 && substitute($l.seconds, Math.round(seconds)) ||
+        seconds < 90 && substitute($l.minute, 1) ||
+        minutes < 45 && substitute($l.minutes, Math.round(minutes)) ||
+        minutes < 90 && substitute($l.hour, 1) ||
+        hours < 24 && substitute($l.hours, Math.round(hours)) ||
+        hours < 48 && substitute($l.day, 1) ||
+        days < 30 && substitute($l.days, Math.floor(days)) ||
+        days < 60 && substitute($l.month, 1) ||
+        days < 365 && substitute($l.months, Math.floor(days / 30)) ||
+        years < 2 && substitute($l.year, 1) ||
+        substitute($l.years, Math.floor(years));
+
+      return $.trim([prefix, words, suffix].join(" "));
+    },
+    parse: function(iso8601) {
+      var s = $.trim(iso8601);
+      s = s.replace(/\.\d\d\d+/,""); // remove milliseconds
+      s = s.replace(/-/,"/").replace(/-/,"/");
+      s = s.replace(/T/," ").replace(/Z/," UTC");
+      s = s.replace(/([\+\-]\d\d)\:?(\d\d)/," $1$2"); // -04:00 -> -0400
+      return new Date(s);
+    },
+    datetime: function(elem) {
+      // jQuery's `is()` doesn't play well with HTML5 in IE
+      var isTime = $(elem).get(0).tagName.toLowerCase() === "time"; // $(elem).is("time");
+      var iso8601 = isTime ? $(elem).attr("datetime") : $(elem).attr("title");
+      return $t.parse(iso8601);
+    }
+  });
+
+  $.fn.timeago = function() {
+    var self = this;
+    self.each(refresh);
+
+    var $s = $t.settings;
+    if ($s.refreshMillis > 0) {
+      setInterval(function() { self.each(refresh); }, $s.refreshMillis);
+    }
+    return self;
+  };
+
+  function refresh() {
+    var data = prepareData(this);
+    if (!isNaN(data.datetime)) {
+      $(this).text(inWords(data.datetime));
+    }
+    return this;
+  }
+
+  function prepareData(element) {
+    element = $(element);
+    if (!element.data("timeago")) {
+      element.data("timeago", { datetime: $t.datetime(element) });
+      var text = $.trim(element.text());
+      if (text.length > 0) {
+        element.attr("title", text);
+      }
+    }
+    return element.data("timeago");
+  }
+
+  function inWords(date) {
+    return $t.inWords(distance(date));
+  }
+
+  function distance(date) {
+    return (new Date().getTime() - date.getTime());
+  }
+
+  // fix for IE6 suckage
+  document.createElement("abbr");
+  document.createElement("time");
+}(jQuery));
diff --git a/lib/shimmie.js b/lib/shimmie.js
index 6e72770c..258d592b 100644
--- a/lib/shimmie.js
+++ b/lib/shimmie.js
@@ -26,6 +26,7 @@ $(document).ready(function() {
 		$confirm.dialog('open');
 	});
 	
+	$("time").timeago();
 });
 
 var defaultTexts = new Array();