ingeniousity.net

I was browsing on wikipedia and came across an article about heat-based contraception which was a bit of an eye-opener. I've heard that wearing the 'wrong' underwear can reduce your sperm-count, but never really thought about it. So I was surprised to learn that people may actually heat up their testicles as a contraceptive method.

There were a few interesting links with the article which supported the idea. The Male Contraception Information Project offered a very informative viewpoint, while the Burning Balls Blog documents one man's attempts to temporarily sterilise himself. In summary, by warming your testicles regularly - 45 minutes a day - for a few weeks you can inhibit sperm production for months after you stop the treatment. The process damages the sperm-producing cells, which are kept outside the body as they need a cooler operating environment. Eventually they recover, and full production is resumed with no apparent effect on long-term fertility. Sounds great! After all, we all hate condoms and the pill is hardly a satisfactory solution either.

So how can you conveniently raise the temperature of your scrotum to 40, or even 45 degrees every day for three weeks? Taking a bath at that temperature for that period of time is going to be a bit impractical, especially as you would have to constantly monitor the temperature of the water. You would need to take a lot of cold drinking water with you, and there is the possibility of doing harm to the rest of your body too. So you need a scrotum-warmer.

I guess one idea would be to have a little battery-powered heating element in your underwear. Maybe something that you could keep in your car and plug into the cigarette lighter socket on the way to work? Personally I don't like that option, especially as I ride a motorbike, but there might be a market for it if you can deal with the hygeine issue.

A better way may be to build something you would use in the privacy of your own home. I envisage something that looks a bit like a toilet seat, with a space in the centre that you would put water into. Add a small heating element with a VERY RELIABLE temperature gauge controlling it and a timer that goes 'bing' when you're cooked!

Your customers would still need to find time every day (for three weeks) to use it so maybe it would have to be supplied with a colouring book or crosswords or something. But it sounds to me like the perfect internet product.

All I need now is a good logo.