human time difference

/**
 * this code assumes php >= 5.1.0. if using < 5.1, read
 * php.net/strtotime and change the condition for checking
 * for failure from strtotime()
 *
 * by nate in http://www.php.net/manual/en/ref.datetime.php#80866
 */

// $t1, $t2: unix times, or strtotime parseable
// $precision: max number of units to output
// $abbr: if true, use "hr" instead of "hour", etc.
function human_date_diff ($t1, $t2, $precision = 6, $abbr = false) {
    if (preg_match('/\D/', $t1) && ($t1 = strtotime($t1)) === false)
        return false;

    if (preg_match('/\D/', $t2) && ($t2 = strtotime($t2)) === false)
        return false;

    if ($t1 > $t2)
        list($t1, $t2) = array($t2, $t1);

    $diffs = array(
        'year' => 0, 'month' => 0, 'day' => 0,
        'hour' => 0, 'minute' => 0, 'second' => 0,
    );

    $abbrs = array(
        'year' => 'yr', 'month' => 'mth', 'day' => 'day',
        'hour' => 'hr', 'minute' => 'min', 'second' => 'sec'
    );

    foreach (array_keys($diffs) as $interval) {
        while ($t2 >= ($t3 = strtotime("+1 ${interval}", $t1))) {
            $t1 = $t3;
            ++$diffs[$interval];
        }
    }

    $stack = array();
    foreach ($diffs as $interval => $num)
        $stack[] = array($num, ($abbr ? $abbrs[$interval] : $interval) . ($num != 1 ? 's' : ''));

    $ret = array();
    while (count($ret) < $precision && ($item = array_shift($stack)) !== null) {
        if ($item[0] > 0)
            $ret[] = "{$item[0]} {$item[1]}";
    }

    return implode(', ', $ret);
}