The previous patch does not solve the problem properly. I've been thinking this over for a week now. I've collected my thoughts on the wiki, in my usual rambling style of writing.
If anyone has any ideas or thoughts about POE and timing, please read and comment here. In particular, I'd like maintainers of POE::Loop to comment on the specifics of their implementation. http://poe.perl.org/?POE_Documentation/Problem_with_the_clock -Philip