Control your laptop by hitting it

They say that you only hurt the ones you love, which may be why even the savviest computer users still resort to physically striking their laptops out of frustration or in futile attempts to fix a problem. Well a recently-posted article at IBM Devworks shows you how to take those punishing blows and channel them into something more productive, by allowing you to input commands on select ThinkPad notebooks through rapping your knuckles on the case in specific sequences. Using a script called knockAge, owners of post-2003, Linux-powered ThinkPads with the Hard Drive Active Protection System can leverage the sensitivity of their machines' built-in accelerometers to perform almost any task imaginable simply by whacking the side of the LCD screen. Once the software is properly configured, you can program your lappy to accept a specific knock sequence for unlocking the screensaver, for instance, or to change tracks in your music player; and if you set up a command for initiating remote troubleshooting, why, for the first time you'll have a way to actually fix your computer by landing a few well-placed blows.

[Via Slashdot]

[Benson Leung @ Jul 31st 2006 11:43AM]

Smackbook, anyone?

[Muddboggr @ Jul 31st 2006 11:44AM]

Mac geeks were doing this a couple months ago:

http://meems.imeem.com/-GccS7uJ/video/7neHOBOl

Nice to see someone take a silly idea and make it sillier!

[Chris @ Jul 31st 2006 11:56AM]

PC needs that too I think

[John Whittet @ Jul 31st 2006 12:10PM]

Yeah, smackbook was the first thing that came to mind for me, too. This took it a bit further by allow for sequences of motion detection.

I'm waiting for an enterprising programmer to write a game controlled by moving your computer in a sort of pre-Wii tribute.

[menziep @ Jul 31st 2006 12:15PM]

Yeah but people who use PC are hitting them anyway so they might as well get some silly effect at the same time!!!

[Tush @ Jul 31st 2006 12:17PM]

I'm glad it has come to the PC side as well, it seems it would come in better use there, since more people get pissed at Windows...

*takes cover*

[Pringle @ Jul 31st 2006 12:22PM]

omfg0rz!!!11!!!1! you are teh s4x0r5 Tush!11!!!1!!! yaou @!%!&#$*# mac fanboy wuindows is teh 1337!!!1!!!

but seriously.
ppl who use linux arent lazy enough to need this

[Linuts @ Jul 31st 2006 12:33PM]

heh - and people who use remotes to change the television channel lazy too.

lazy: disinclined to work or exertion

spending all day tweaking your linux kernel so you can get wirless networking to function hardly qualifies as exertion.

[Tush @ Jul 31st 2006 12:42PM]

Pringle, no need for such flamboyant sarcasm, twas just a joke. It's all good though, I still love ya.

Oh, and by flamboyant, I don't mean homosexual, I mean flamboyant. (don't want to be confused for an ass)

[Jack @ Jul 31st 2006 12:45PM]

Yawn.... Wasn't this done with the Macbook Pro when they came out with bootcamp?? somebody was switching OS's with a tap on the side. How about putting the NEW back into NEWS??

[bob @ Jul 31st 2006 1:03PM]

i think ibm are the only 'pc' laptop that have a sudden motion sensor still arnt they?

[Rich L. @ Jul 31st 2006 1:18PM]

Here's a "counter" biz opportunity - Speed Bump Incursion Prevention for those accelerometers-ready computers

[Billy-Bob @ Jul 31st 2006 1:35PM]

Old news. Once again, Mac's are leading the way...the rest only to follow.

[mazola @ Jul 31st 2006 1:56PM]

You can control children and co-workers this way, too.

[ap @ Jul 31st 2006 2:52PM]

@Billy-Bob

Actually, IBM Thinkpads were the first laptops to have the built-in hard drive-parking accelerometers (or at least they were before the Macs). Though, if you're just talking about using the accelerometers for other purposes, then it was probably done on the Mac first.

[cephelotron @ Jul 31st 2006 5:02PM]

It would be interesting if someone figured out how to translate the bumps into midi events. Would add whole new meaning to the term laptop jamming.

[benjamin Possolo @ Jul 31st 2006 6:10PM]

this is quite possibly one of the dumbest stories i have ever seen posted (both here and on slashdot). what would drive a person to spend close to 2000 $ on a computer...then hit it for the sake of amusment? in case you don't know, the electronics within a computer are a TAD more sensitive than most people think.

[RacetrackOwner @ Jul 31st 2006 6:17PM]

"lappy" wasn't a good idea when the Europeans were cutesy-ifying words by adding a "y"... it's an even worse idea when Americans play European by doing the same thing.

If you want to be a better "blogger," spend more time learning to spell.

[Mindbleach @ Jul 31st 2006 6:45PM]

Racetrack, the source of "lappy" isn't Europe, it's Homestar Runner. Whinging about spelling when the very title of the article proves the author knows how to spell "laptop" just makes you look silly... especially when you use words like "cutesy-ifying" to do it. =D

As a Thinkpad owner, I just wish I knew enough to port this to Windows and get some usefulness out of my accellerometer. Watching the virtual laptop tilt and jostle with the Real-Time Status tool is only entertaining for half an hour at a time, tops.