Changing Particle Spin: How to Change & Detect Orientation

[kaseron]

Okay, so I was looking at some ideas of storage based on making electrons spin "up" or "down" to store binary data, and I began wondering two things:
1) How does one change the spin "orientation" (for lack of a better word) of a particle?
2) How does one detect the spin "orientation" of a particle?

Thanks in advance for your help.

 

[mfb]

1) How does one change the spin "orientation" (for lack of a better word) of a particle?

With magnetic fields of the right direction and intensity.

2) How does one detect the spin "orientation" of a particle?

With their interaction with magnetic fields, or maybe other clever ways (like processes possible for one spin orientation only).