Hacking The Everyday

PSA: Folding @ Home

2008-06-08T05:53:00Z

Want to donate for a good cause? What if I told you it was free?

For our first Public Service Announcement, I wanted to discuss what the average person can do with their computer's excess CPU cycles. Specifically, I'm talking about the Folding@Home distributed computing program run by Stanford University. This program was started by the University to figure out how proteins in the human body change shape (or "fold", if you will) into new structures. Protein folding is essential for many tasks in the body, and when they misfold, problems can arise. Diseases like Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, and many others have already been linked to proteins that don't fold the way they should. However, scientists still don't know exactly how or why a protein folds the way it does. This is were you come in.

Protein folding is a very complex process, and even for modern computers it requires a tremendous amount of time and processing power to simulate all the varieties and ways that a protein can fold or misfold. What Folding@Home (FAH) does, is to help break this enormous task into small chunks that can be processed on any average computer. FAH is a small, unobtrusive program that connects to Stanford, processes a folding simulation, and returns the results for their scientists to analyze. You can even see the individual molecules fold themselves on your screen if you wish. Already FAH has over 200,000 computers donating their excess CPU cycles towards this effort, and has generated over 50 papers for the science of protein folding. By understanding why proteins fold the way they do, we get one step closer to actually developing a cure for these diseases!

FAH is easy enough to run - simply download and install, and it takes care of the rest. It will automatically download a new chunk to process once it's finished the previous one. You can put in your name if you want, and join a FAH team, but this isn't required. What you get in return is the knowledge that you've contributed to a great cause, and may actually play a direct role in curing some of these diseases. There's no extensive forms to fill out, ads to annoy, or bloatware that slows down your computer (you can select how much idle processing power it will use). You may learn more about FAH (and download it) here:

http://folding.stanford.edu/

This is one cause that doesn't take much time to be a part of, and is completely free. Isn't finding new and ingenious uses for things one of the core values of hacking? I can't wait to see what FAH will discover.

Happy Hacking.

-Juno

HOW TO: 9V Battery Safe

2008-04-26T05:32:00Z

In today's How To, we'll be teaching you how to create a small, little safe out of something you probably never thought of: a standard 9v battery. The finished product is only slightly lighter than the original, and unless someone is looking very closely, you cannot tell the difference visually. For safeguarding your valuables, this is last place a person would think to look.

It's easier to make than you think, and since you probably have most of the required materials hanging around the house, you can't beat the price. While I don't claim to have come up with the idea, I've added a couple features that I feel make this the best 9v battery safe that your average hobbyist can make.

Cheesy Legal Warning: If you get hurt attempting to make this, use it, or get busted for doing something illegal with it, it's your responsibility. While I can't foresee any real danger to this project, I know someone will "accidentally" swallow the battery and want to sue for stomach upset. Too bad! I beat you to the punch! :) Also, all text, photos, and material are copyrighted by me, so no stealing (though linking to this blog is highly appreciated).

All right, let's get to it!

Required Materials:    1 9v Battery
                              Epoxy, Gorilla Glue, or JB Weld
                                Q-Tips (to mix/apply epoxy or glue)
                                Metal File
                                Sharpie (for marking)
                                Wire Cutters
                                Needle-nose pliers
                                Small flathead screwdriver
                                Stock metal (any kind, approx. 1/8 or 1/16 thick)
                                Measuring tape or Calipers

Your materials should look something like this:

Now that you've assembled everything, we'll start by flipping the battery upside down and prying open the two tabs (it's on the side of the battery that has the crease running down it.)

As you get the tabs open, you'll want to cut a slit on the corners to allow you the bend the tabs down without bending the rest of the metal.

You'll now want to fully bend both tabs down just enough so that you can see the layer of plastic that makes up the bottom of the battery. With your needle-nose pliers, grasp the end of the plastic and pull it straight out.

Cut the plastic shell that wraps around the internal unit to create access to the layer beneath. Don't worry, this kind of battery won't leak just by cutting this shell.

Now just remove the internal paper liner with your needle-nose pliers like you removed the plastic bottom earlier.

You'll now need to pry one of the metal ridges on the side up so that you can pull out the individual cells later.

Now you can finally remove the individual cells from inside the battery.

Remove everything from inside the battery. You should wind up with 6 cells, the plastic shell, another paper liner, and the contact points.

We'll need to clean up the edges of bottom of the battery and reshape the side metal ridges that we bent earlier. Cut off the metal tabs that you bent down in the beginning and bend down the side ridges until it looks something like this:

Now comes the trickiest part: creating the spacers. These will be glued on the interior sides of the battery so that we can create a sliding door that opens and closes the hidden compartment. The exact sizing of the spacers is CRITICAL! If they are not tooled correctly, they will either not support the plastic battery contacts piece or they will let the bottom compartment cover slide out by itself. Use careful measurements and a metal file to obtain the perfect fit. The most critical part of the spacers is that they are relatively flat, are spaced relatively close towards the bottom (but not touching, as the compartment cover needs space to slide), and have enough surface area with which to be glued. Another important feature is that they must be about as long as the battery is, so that it will support the battery contacts when you go to reassemble it. Mine looked like this:

Now we need to apply the bonding agent. You can use gorilla glue, JB Weld, or others products, but I decided to go with an epoxy. With epoxies, make sure you mix both agents thoroughly before use or you'll end up with weakened adhesion. You'll notice I didn't cover the whole side with the bonding agent; it's so that it won't spread into the sliding compartment and jam up the cover.

I recommend using Q-tips to apply the bonding agent, as this deposits cotton fiber into the mixture. This actually helps the agent to cling more securely to the two surfaces. To prep the battery, make sure the battery contacts (the piece of plastic that contains the battery terminals) are properly situated. The spacers will be inserted, and if they are sized correctly, they will support the battery cover piece. After the agent is applied, insert the spacers into the interior sides of the battery.

At this point (before the bonding agent sets), we want to check for three things:

1) That the spacers properly support the battery contacts.

2) That the spacers sit flush against the interior walls.

3) That there is enough room for the plastic bottom piece to be re-inserted, but not so much room that it falls out by itself.

If any of these conditions are not met, the spacers must be retooled. (Just wipe off the glue and try again. You didn't let it dry, right?) If everything looks good, then we can proceed. Stuff a paper towel wad inside the battery to provide pressure between the spacers and walls of the battery. Then, insert the compartment cover piece halfway so that the spacers don't shift and block the spacer from being inserted later. Allow to dry for whatever your bonding agent has recommended.

After it has dried, remove the paper wad and cycle the compartment cover piece a couple times to make sure it works correctly. If you did it right, the cover will securely hold your valuables in place, but can still be easily opened by using your thumb to slide it back. After you create a couple, making these safes becomes relatively easy.

Finished product!

I certainly hope you've enjoyed our first How To, and believe me, it won't be the last.

Happy Hacking.

Juno

Your Biggest Threat

2008-02-22T23:31:00Z

Most of time, when we think about security, we think in terms of burglars, thieves, and how much of a risk they are to us. True, it IS the mugger who robs you, but invariably they are exploiting a flaw that you have created, either by making yourself an easy target, or even just by being there. Indeed, we often make up more of the risk than the bad guys do. The following picture may help drive home this point a little better:

So I ask you: Who is really the biggest threat to your own security? The bad guy, or you?

Happy Hacking.

And so it begins...

2008-02-19T23:58:00Z

For the inaugural post, I will simply lay out what the dear reader can expect of this blog. Hacking The Everyday is really exactly what it sounds like: I'll be posting about different events, techniques, or social paradoxes that all are an effort to change the way you think. Not to create a bunch of mindless blog readers, but active participants that can take what discussion is brought to the table to enrich their own lives and the lives around them. Hacking at its roots is simply finding unique ways to solve interesting or complex problems. Sometimes the problems are given to us, and sometimes we create our own problems without realizing it. Either way, this blog will attempt to expand your mind, to think out of the box past the linear realm of 1+1=2.

Let's see what we can discover.