def profile(log_file, sort='cumulative', strip_dirs=False):
    """A decorator which profiles a callable, or a view function, etc.
    Example usage:

    >>> @profile('/tmp/file_name')
        def factorial(n):
            n = abs(int(n))
            if n < 1:
                    n = 1
            x = 1
            for i in range(1, n + 1):
                    x = i * x
            return x
    ...
    """
    def outer(fun):
        import cProfile
        import tempfile
        import os

        try:
            PROFILE_LOG_BASE = '/tmp'
        except:
            PROFILE_LOG_BASE = tempfile.gettempdir()

        def inner(*args, **kwargs):
            file_name = os.path.join(PROFILE_LOG_BASE, log_file)
            file = open(file_name,"w")
            prof = cProfile.Profile()
            try:
                ret = prof.runcall(fun, *args, **kwargs)
            except:
                file.close()
                raise

            prof.dump_stats(file_name)
            file.close()
            return ret
        return inner

    # in case this is defined as "@profile" instead of "@profile()"
    if hasattr(sort, '__call__'):
        fun = sort
        sort = 'cumulative'
        outer = outer(fun)
    return outer