static bool flatInfoBox_alwaysOnTop = true;
static double flatInfoBox_defaultTime = 2.0;
static int flatInfoBox_x = 28, flatInfoBox_y = 5;

// automatically switches to AWT thread for you
static JWindow flatInfoBox(S text) {
  ret flatInfoBox(text, flatInfoBox_defaultTime);
}

static JWindow flatInfoBox(final S text, final double seconds) {
  if (empty(text)) null;
  print(text);
  ret flatInfoBox_noprint(text, seconds);
}

static JWindow flatInfoBox_noprint(S text) {
  ret flatInfoBox_noprint(text, flatInfoBox_defaultTime);
}

static JWindow flatInfoBox_noprint(final S text, final double seconds) {
  if (empty(text)) null;
  logQuotedWithDate(infoBoxesLogFile(), text); 
  if (isHeadless()) null;
  ret (JWindow) swingAndWait(func {
    final JWindow window = makeUnimportantWindow(flatInfoBox_makePanel(text));
    window.pack();
    window.setBounds(flatInfoBox_x, flatInfoBox_y, 300, window.getHeight());
    if (flatInfoBox_alwaysOnTop)
      window.setAlwaysOnTop(true);
    window.setVisible(true);
    disposeWindowAfter(iround(seconds*1000), window);
    ret window;
  });
}

static JWindow flatInfoBox(Throwable e) {
  showConsole();
  printStackTrace(e);
  ret flatInfoBox(exceptionToStringShort(e));
}

Began life as a copy of #1006245