diff --git a/src/java/com/threerings/util/unsafe/Unsafe.java b/src/java/com/threerings/util/unsafe/Unsafe.java
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..b8e870881
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/java/com/threerings/util/unsafe/Unsafe.java
@@ -0,0 +1,90 @@
+//
+// $Id: Unsafe.java,v 1.1 2003/05/08 21:25:20 mdb Exp $
+
+package com.threerings.util.unsafe;
+
+import com.threerings.util.Log;
+import com.samskivert.util.RunAnywhere;
+
+/**
+ * A native library for doing unsafe things. Don't use this library. If
+ * you must ignore that warning, then be sure you use it sparingly and
+ * only in very well considered cases.
+ */
+public class Unsafe
+{
+    /**
+     * Enables or disables garbage collection. <em>Warning:</em> you will
+     * be fucked if you leave it disabled for too long. Do not do this
+     * unless you are dang sure about what you're doing and are prepared
+     * to test your code on every platform this side of Nantucket.
+     *
+     * <p> Calls to this method do not nest. Regardless of how many times
+     * you disable GC, only one call is required to reenable it.
+     */
+    public static void setGCEnabled (boolean enabled)
+    {
+        // we don't support nesting, NOOP if the state doesn't change
+        if (_loaded && enabled != _gcEnabled) {
+            if (_gcEnabled = enabled) {
+                enableGC();
+            } else {
+                disableGC();
+            }
+        }
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Causes the current thread to block for the specified number of
+     * milliseconds. This exists primarily to work around the fact that on
+     * Linux, {@link Thread#sleep} is only accurate to around 12ms which
+     * is wholly unacceptable.
+     */
+    public static void sleep (int millis)
+    {
+        if (_loaded && RunAnywhere.isLinux()) {
+            nativeSleep(millis);
+        } else {
+            try {
+                Thread.sleep(millis);
+            } catch (InterruptedException ie) {
+                Log.info("Thread.sleep(" + millis + ") interrupted.");
+            }
+        }
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Reenable garbage collection after a call to {@link #disableGC}.
+     */
+    protected static native void enableGC ();
+
+    /**
+     * Disables garbage collection.
+     */
+    protected static native void disableGC ();
+
+    /**
+     * Sleeps the current thread for the specified number of milliseconds.
+     */
+    protected static native void nativeSleep (int millis);
+
+    /**
+     * Called to initialize our library.
+     */
+    protected static native boolean init ();
+
+    /** The current state of GC enablement. */
+    protected static boolean _gcEnabled = true;
+
+    /** Whether or not we were able to load and initialize our library. */
+    protected static boolean _loaded;
+
+    static {
+        try {
+            System.loadLibrary("unsafe");
+            _loaded = init();
+        } catch (UnsatisfiedLinkError e) {
+            Log.warning("Failed to load 'unsafe' library: " + e + ".");
+        }
+    }
+}
diff --git a/src/java/com/threerings/util/unsafe/com_threerings_util_unsafe_Unsafe.h b/src/java/com/threerings/util/unsafe/com_threerings_util_unsafe_Unsafe.h
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..f439fed8e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/java/com/threerings/util/unsafe/com_threerings_util_unsafe_Unsafe.h
@@ -0,0 +1,47 @@
+/* DO NOT EDIT THIS FILE - it is machine generated */
+#include <jni.h>
+/* Header for class com_threerings_util_unsafe_Unsafe */
+
+#ifndef _Included_com_threerings_util_unsafe_Unsafe
+#define _Included_com_threerings_util_unsafe_Unsafe
+#ifdef __cplusplus
+extern "C" {
+#endif
+/* Inaccessible static: _gcEnabled */
+/* Inaccessible static: _loaded */
+/*
+ * Class:     com_threerings_util_unsafe_Unsafe
+ * Method:    enableGC
+ * Signature: ()V
+ */
+JNIEXPORT void JNICALL Java_com_threerings_util_unsafe_Unsafe_enableGC
+  (JNIEnv *, jclass);
+
+/*
+ * Class:     com_threerings_util_unsafe_Unsafe
+ * Method:    disableGC
+ * Signature: ()V
+ */
+JNIEXPORT void JNICALL Java_com_threerings_util_unsafe_Unsafe_disableGC
+  (JNIEnv *, jclass);
+
+/*
+ * Class:     com_threerings_util_unsafe_Unsafe
+ * Method:    nativeSleep
+ * Signature: (I)V
+ */
+JNIEXPORT void JNICALL Java_com_threerings_util_unsafe_Unsafe_nativeSleep
+  (JNIEnv *, jclass, jint);
+
+/*
+ * Class:     com_threerings_util_unsafe_Unsafe
+ * Method:    init
+ * Signature: ()Z
+ */
+JNIEXPORT jboolean JNICALL Java_com_threerings_util_unsafe_Unsafe_init
+  (JNIEnv *, jclass);
+
+#ifdef __cplusplus
+}
+#endif
+#endif
diff --git a/src/java/com/threerings/util/unsafe/i686-Linux/Makefile b/src/java/com/threerings/util/unsafe/i686-Linux/Makefile
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..251b89837
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/java/com/threerings/util/unsafe/i686-Linux/Makefile
@@ -0,0 +1,43 @@
+#
+# $Id: Makefile,v 1.1 2003/05/08 21:25:20 mdb Exp $
+
+#
+# Executable definitions
+
+CC=gcc
+RM=rm
+CP=cp
+MKDIR=mkdir
+
+#
+# Directory definitions
+
+ROOT=../../../../../../..
+LIBRARIES_PATH=-L/usr/X11R6/lib
+INSTALL_PATH=${ROOT}/dist/lib/i686-Linux
+
+#
+# Parameter and file definitions
+
+INCLUDES=-I.. -I${JAVA_HOME}/include -I${JAVA_HOME}/include/linux
+LIBRARIES=-lX11
+TARGET=libunsafe.so
+INSTALL_TARGET=${INSTALL_PATH}/${TARGET}
+
+#
+# Target definitions
+
+all: ${INSTALL_TARGET}
+
+${INSTALL_TARGET}: com_threerings_util_unsafe_Unsafe.c
+	@echo Compiling Unsafe.c
+	@${CC} ${INCLUDES} -c com_threerings_util_unsafe_Unsafe.c \
+	    -o com_threerings_util_unsafe_Unsafe.o
+	@echo Creating ${TARGET}
+	@${MKDIR} -p ${INSTALL_PATH}
+	@${CC} -o ${INSTALL_TARGET} com_threerings_util_unsafe_Unsafe.o \
+	    ${LIBRARIES} ${LIBRARIES_PATH} -shared
+
+clean:
+	-${RM} *.o
+	-${RM} ${INSTALL_TARGET}
diff --git a/src/java/com/threerings/util/unsafe/i686-Linux/com_threerings_util_unsafe_Unsafe.c b/src/java/com/threerings/util/unsafe/i686-Linux/com_threerings_util_unsafe_Unsafe.c
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..5598f23da
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/java/com/threerings/util/unsafe/i686-Linux/com_threerings_util_unsafe_Unsafe.c
@@ -0,0 +1,77 @@
+/*
+ * $Id: com_threerings_util_unsafe_Unsafe.c,v 1.1 2003/05/08 21:25:20 mdb Exp $
+ */
+
+#include <stdio.h>
+#include <jni.h>
+#include <jvmpi.h>
+
+#include <errno.h>
+#include <sys/types.h>
+#include <time.h>
+#include <unistd.h>
+
+#include "com_threerings_util_unsafe_Unsafe.h"
+
+/* global jvmpi interface pointer */
+static JVMPI_Interface* jvmpi;
+
+/** A sleep method that uses select(). This seems to have about 10ms
+ * granularity where nanosleep() has about 20ms. Sigh. */
+static int select_sleep (int millisecs)
+{
+    fd_set dummy;
+    struct timeval toWait;
+    FD_ZERO(&dummy);
+    toWait.tv_sec = millisecs / 1000;
+    toWait.tv_usec = (millisecs % 1000) * 1000;
+    return select(0, &dummy, NULL, NULL, &toWait);
+}
+
+JNIEXPORT void JNICALL
+Java_com_threerings_util_unsafe_Unsafe_enableGC (JNIEnv* env, jclass clazz)
+{
+    fprintf(stderr, "Reenabling GC.\n");
+    jvmpi->EnableGC();
+}
+
+JNIEXPORT void JNICALL
+Java_com_threerings_util_unsafe_Unsafe_disableGC (JNIEnv* env, jclass clazz)
+{
+    fprintf(stderr, "Disabling GC.\n");
+    jvmpi->DisableGC();
+}
+
+JNIEXPORT void JNICALL
+Java_com_threerings_util_unsafe_Unsafe_nativeSleep (
+    JNIEnv* env, jclass clazz, jint millis)
+{
+/*     struct timespec tmspec; */
+/*     tmspec.tv_sec = millis/1000; */
+/*     tmspec.tv_nsec = (millis%1000)*1000000; */
+/*     if (nanosleep(&tmspec, NULL) < 0) { */
+/*         fprintf(stderr, "nanosleep() failed: %s\n", strerror(errno)); */
+/*     } */
+    if (select_sleep(millis) < 0) {
+        fprintf(stderr, "select_sleep() failed: %s\n", strerror(errno));
+    }
+}
+
+JNIEXPORT jboolean JNICALL
+Java_com_threerings_util_unsafe_Unsafe_init (JNIEnv* env, jclass clazz)
+{
+    JavaVM* jvm;
+
+    if ((*env)->GetJavaVM(env, &jvm) > 0) {
+        fprintf(stderr, "Failed to get JavaVM from env.\n");
+        return JNI_FALSE;
+    }
+
+    /* get jvmpi interface pointer */
+    if (((*jvm)->GetEnv(jvm, (void**)&jvmpi, JVMPI_VERSION_1)) < 0) {
+        fprintf(stderr, "Failed to get JVMPI from JavaVM.\n");
+        return JNI_FALSE;
+    }
+
+    return JNI_TRUE;
+}