In the "wish we'd thought of that" category, Jeff Buske of Larkspur, Colorado, is selling TSA-proof underwear to keep your privates, uh, private while you walk through the new TSA full-body scanners.
Buske's design places tungsten fibers in a modest fig leaf design over your private areas, which will shield them from x-ray scanners. Ladies need not fear, as Buske has also designed a sports bra with the same tungsten fig leaf motif. And there's an insert to put in existing bras too.
While it may seem like Buske is just capitalizing on a trend, he actually came up with the idea back in January shortly after the attempted underwear bomb detonation by a Nigerian air passenger and the Transportation Security Association's subsequent move to full-body scanners. (A move that made air travel more invasive than a routine doctor visit.) He's selling his x-ray proof underwear at his website, Rocky Flats Gear.
Buske previously designed x-ray devices for GE, so he knows a thing or two about how they work. He tested his undergarments at local hospitals' x-ray machines to prove they worked and began selling them in March. As you might have guessed, lately his sales have gone way up, thanks to the widespread backlash against the TSA and full-body scanners. He also believes that the scanners are not safe (despite repeated reports from the TSA stating otherwise) and he thinks the underwear will at least give passengers some protection from x-ray radiation. Speaking with the Los Angeles Times, Buske said, "Short of wearing an actual radiation suit, which would be impractical, you protect what you can."
The one downside to Buske's radiation solution? You might increase your chances for getting chosen for a TSA-sanctioned pat-down/feel-up.
