Search Engine A Perfectly Average Anomaly
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Dec 19, 2025 
Doug McMakin, a research engineer behind millimeter-wave body-scanning technology, shares insights into how and why these scanners might flag certain body parts. Frequent traveler Travis recounts his bizarre experiences being consistently flagged on his trips, sparking a curious investigation. The duo discusses theories ranging from clothing geometry to moisture affecting scan results, even humorously experimenting with wetting clothes to see if it triggers alarms. The conversation dives into privacy issues and the realities of automated detection, leaving many questions unanswered.
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Big-Dong Theory Dominates Online Talk
- Online communities attribute crotch flags to unusually large penises and share coping tips.
- PJ judged that widespread anecdotes pointed to a known phenomenon but weren't sufficient to explain average-sized men's cases.
How Millimeter-Wave Scanners Work
- Millimeter-wave scanners bounce short radio waves off skin and other materials to reveal concealed objects.
- The technology produces low-res body outlines that show anomalies where waves can't pass through.
Algorithm Replaced Human Review
- Post-2013 TSA replaced human image reviewers with algorithms that flag anomalies on a stick-figure avatar.
- That change reduced privacy intrusiveness but introduced unexplained machine errors.