The Transportation Security Administration has modified the scanning machine commonly known as the "backscatter" so that intimate body parts aren't shown in detail. The parts will be displayed blurred or in comic book style outlines.

American Science Vice President Joe Rice said the $100,000 machine finds ceramic weapons and small metal objects that metal detectors can miss. "I'm sure there are ways to defeat this technology," Rice said. "But this type of technology is a dramatic leap forward from what is available today."

Dramatic leap forward? It's sad that we are now effectively strip searching passengers before they board an airplane.

So much for hiding that weight I need to lose.