"In the future, people will wear tin foil hats and other people will not make fun of them!" I loudly declared at a late night Defcon party nearly seven years ago. My comments were greeted with laughter, winks and a few nods. Someone even suggested I should not be served any more adult beverages. Admittedly, the comment was designed to provoke debate. Although nobody took the bait, I was dead serious. Given the number of personal electronics that emanate, concentrate and/or produce radiation, there was a need for shielding and isolation technology for the great-unwashed masses.
My belief was so strong because I had seen how effective this technology could be. During the cold war, many government computer systems employed TEMPEST protection. TEMPEST systems were used to shield the radiation given off by the CPU's, displays and peripherals from enemy eavesdropping. This technology was once solely available to military and government agencies. As such, it has not found its way into the consumer market. Until now!
Fast-forward to early 2004. After using my "laptop" for approximately 20 minutes, the heat from the computer become too much for my lap to bear. It occurred to me that I was also getting a healthy dose of 2.4GHZ from my WiFi card. I wanted protection but didn't think a pair of lead-lined pants was an appropriate response. Instead I designed the light-weight RF & Thermal shielded Lap-Pad. I started using the Lap-Pad all the time. It prolonged my laptop use and provided added peace of mind. When people would see me using it they would ask "What is it?". After I told them the story, they wanted one of their own. So I started Tempestwear(tm).
From our Lap-Pads to our Pass-Pal passport protector, Tempestwear(tm) is dedicated to producing the most innovative & effective RF, Thermal, Static and EMP protection commercially available. When the need for a tin foil hat finally manifests itself, rest assured, we will produce one that is functional and stylish.
Bryan K Fite
Founder and President