diff --git a/.gitignore b/.gitignore
index 6bc71e0..d1c0ec9 100644
--- a/.gitignore
+++ b/.gitignore
@@ -1,3 +1,7 @@
+# Ignore metadata from IDEA (Android Studio)
+*.iml
+.idea/
+out/
 bin/
 gen/
 *~
diff --git a/src/com/BreakingBytes/SifterReader/ColorItemAdapter.java b/src/com/BreakingBytes/SifterReader/ColorItemAdapter.java
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..486551f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/com/BreakingBytes/SifterReader/ColorItemAdapter.java
@@ -0,0 +1,34 @@
+package com.BreakingBytes.SifterReader;
+
+import android.content.Context;
+import android.view.View;
+import android.view.ViewGroup;
+import android.widget.SimpleAdapter;
+
+import java.util.List;
+import java.util.Map;
+
+/**
+ * Extension of SimpleAdapter that will color the background of a list item based on the item's
+ * position within the list. This is based on code by Ying Kit Yuen at:
+ * http://eureka.ykyuen.info/2010/03/15/android-%E2%80%93-applying-alternate-row-color-in-listview-with-simpleadapter/
+ *
+ * Created by sbeitzel on 8/1/13.
+ */
+public class ColorItemAdapter extends SimpleAdapter {
+    private static final int[] COLORS = new int[] {0x30FF0000, 0x300000FF}; // dark red, blue
+
+    public ColorItemAdapter(Context context, List<? extends Map<String, ?>> data, int resource, String[] from, int[] to) {
+        super(context, data, resource, from, to);
+    }
+
+    @Override
+    public View getView(int position, View convertView, ViewGroup parent) {
+        View view = super.getView(position, convertView, parent);
+        int colorPos = position % COLORS.length;
+        assert view != null;
+        view.setBackgroundColor(COLORS[colorPos]);
+        return view;
+    }
+
+}
diff --git a/src/com/BreakingBytes/SifterReader/IssuesActivity.java b/src/com/BreakingBytes/SifterReader/IssuesActivity.java
index f963160..cbc88f9 100644
--- a/src/com/BreakingBytes/SifterReader/IssuesActivity.java
+++ b/src/com/BreakingBytes/SifterReader/IssuesActivity.java
@@ -318,7 +318,7 @@ private void fillData() {
 			mSifterHelper.onException(e.toString());
 			return;
 		}
-        ListAdapter adapter = new SimpleAdapter(this, issuesList,
+        ListAdapter adapter = new ColorItemAdapter(this, issuesList,
         		R.layout.issue_row,
                 new String[] {NUMBER, STATUS, PRIORITY, SUBJECT},
                 new int[] {R.id.issue_number, R.id.issue_status, R.id.issue_priority, R.id.issue_subject});