N:S:M doesn't have a hook function inside the loop. If it did I could just set a timer using Time::HiRes to send a SIGALRM which I think would break out of the select() call that the process is blocked on and let a hook function run. After the hook the flow would move around to the select() again.

Well I do have the source for N:S:M so... I just overrode the loop() function in my own program with a copy of the function by just changing the following bit of code from

  $mux->loop(sub {
    my ($rdready, $wrready) = @_;
    &check_sigs();
    $mux->endloop if $prop->{_HUP};
  });
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to

  $mux->loop(sub {
    my ($rdready, $wrready) = @_;
    &check_sigs();
    $self->inner_loop_hook;    # user customizable hook
    $mux->endloop if $prop->{_HUP};
  });
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All I did was add the line:

$self->inner_loop_hook;    # user customizable hook
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And then I just defined my own hook function as:

sub inner_loop_hook {
  print "Dude! " , time , "\n";
}
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I haven't tested any of this with Spread yet which will take a while yet. Also I setup a timer with these lines at the top of the program.

use Time::HiRes qw( setitimer getitimer
                ITIMER_REAL ITIMER_VIRTUAL ITIMER_PROF );
setitimer(ITIMER_REAL, 3, 1);
$SIG{ALRM} = sub { return };
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Which will wait 3 seconds before starting and then send a SIGALRM every 1 second after that.