Tilt sensing isn't quite the novelty it once was, with all these new-fangeled controllers and laptops flooding the market, but as much as the execution might lack, or our child-like joy wane, we've always got room for one more tilt-enabled doohickey at the Engadget HQ. This time around it's the Nintendo DS sporting the fancy functionality (again), via a homemade tilt sensor which plugs into that handy mini-USB port. Unfortunately for the bleeding edge types, the actual use of this thing is an exercise in frustration, since the control is merely digital -- full left or full right, none of those fancy degrees. Still, if your mom and her gal pals have commandeered your Wii for the afternoon, you've just gotta get some Nintendo-flavored tilt-sensing action on, and you can't find your Kirby Tilt 'n' Tumble cartridge anywhere, then it sounds like this DS hack is the hack for you. Alternatively, you can apparently plug this thing into your PSP, but we don't have any video evidence to back that up. Keep reading to see the DS in action.

[Via DS Fanboy]

We've been seeing posts and vids (and getting tips) on a program called iAlertU all week, but were a little skeptical of software that claims to use the tilt sensors and camera in your MacBook Pro for triggering an alarm if someone tries to snatch your lappie. Skeptical, that is, until a beta version of the application was released today,. While feedback so far indicates that the code is still pretty buggy, the program seems to actually work, with users generally pleased about the overall operation (for the five minute usage limitation of the beta, anyway). Developer Slapping Turtle says that once all the kinks are worked out, a non-time limited version will be available for $10, which seems like a good deal once key features are implemented -- most importantly, headphone jack and other overrides, because even the most dim-witted thief may somehow stumble upon the "force restart" key combo in mid-heist.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]