The hdaps Linux kernel driver for Thinkpads' sensors (don't know about the other flavors) can export the data as a joydev, which can be mapped arbitrarily - I've tried things like desktop switching by hard taps to either side of the keyboard, but it's more of a neat gimmick than a useful interaction mode. Some (severely out of date) scripts here: http://www.thinkwiki.org/wiki/HDAPS (no HTML in comments?)