Farewell to bomb-sniffing "puffers" at the airport

I'm a little saddened by this news: The opportunity to go through the "puffer" machine, which blasts little jets of air all over your body in attempt to sniff out explosive compounds on your person, has long been the most fun you could have going through the security screening line at the airport.

Alas, now the puffers are being systematically removed, for a wide variety of reasons.

The Transportation Security Administration spent $30 million on 207 puffer machines, eventually installing 94 of them in 37 airports. But problems arose after more than $6 million was spent on maintenance in 2005 alone because the machines were constantly breaking down.

Officials cited "dust and humidity in airports" as the reason for the frequent breakages. The company that manufactured the machines also noted that, well, "some of the machines had trouble detecting bombs," and seems relieved that the program has now come to an end and it no longer has to keep repairing the lemon puffers.

Sixty of the 94 puffers have already been removed from airports. The entire removal process will cost a cool $1 million before it's all said and done.

Rest assured the TSA isn't letting its guard down: In place of the puffers, the agency is installing more of the controversial body-scanning "backscatter" devices, which can create a 3-D image of your body through your clothing and will be used to make sure you aren't packing contraband. The plan is to install 250 of the new scanners by the end of 2010.

So, what to do with 207 puffers collecting dust? How about selling them to amusement parks and Chuck E. Cheese pizza parlors and positioning them as high-tech recreation, charging kids a buck a pop to experience the full-body air blast? I'm game.