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I think it actually used the shock detection that is meant to prevent damage to the hard drive. I find that ironic. Either way, here is the video. There's also links to a few different versions of the idea, such as IBM thinkpads, Nokia Phones, and a similar concept based on a shadow sensor. There's also been a Slashdot article on this topic.

No, he used the built-in accelerometer to detect slaps on either side of the case.

This is even cooler - using Virtual Desktops, Shadowbook, and Parallels Desktop, you can switch between OS X and Windows just by waving your hand over the ambient light sensor in the MacBook Pro ...

Peep a video here:
http://blog.medallia.com/2006/06/shadowbook.html

Cheers!

And for those of us with Powerbooks with ambient light sensors, there is Shadowbook, which can be used with Virtue Desktops to switch between virtual desktops with the wave of a hand. It's a bit gimmicky, but fun.

Erling Ellingsen has also been playing with the sudden motion and ambient light sensors. He hacked a Virtual Desktop tool, where you have to hit the laptop, or put your hand over a sensitive area, in order to change desktops.

http://blog.medallia.com/2006/05/smacbook_pro.html

And if it's a MacBook, and you've installed SmackBook Pro, your seatmate may decide to let you have the entire row to yourself.

--Pat