<p>As we enter an age in which the genome for any organism or individual can be obtained automatically and at rapidly-decreasing cost, a unique opportunity has developed for those interested in decoding the layers of hidden meaning within this data. The ready availability of tools, data and hardware provide a means for those interested in exploring this resource, and discovering its hidden meaning.<p></p>In particular, practitioners of conventional (and applied) cryptology may have unique insights about how to go about this task, and represent an underutilized community that could potentially make substantial contributions. This talk will present an outline of the problem, the current state of the art, and a discussion of the tools and resources available to researchers, with a focus on data and software that is open and readily available to the conference participants.<p></p><p>The human genome project, and other similar programs are the key "big science" project of our generation, and unlike other large-scale scientific activities, there is a real opportunity for the interested lay-person to contribute to our understanding of the data, as well as experience the rush of breaking new scientific ground. This talk will hopefully infuse the group with a sense of the excitement and fun to be had hacking the genome.</p>