function str2ab(str) {
var buf = new ArrayBuffer(str.length*2); // 2 bytes for each char
var bufView = new Uint8Array(buf);
for (var i=0, strLen=str.length; i < strLen; i++) {
bufView[i] = str.charCodeAt(i);
}
return buf;
}
function ab2str(buf) {
return String.fromCharCode.apply(null, new Uint8Array(buf));
}