Returning to your car to find a ticket tucked under the wiper sucks. So imagine how you'd feel finding a six square foot block of yellow plastic splayed across your windshield, rendering it impossible to see a thing.

The people who made this contraption, called the Barnacle, think you'd feel pretty OK—at least compared to how you'd feel finding one of those infernal boots clamped to the wheel. "With a boot, even in the best case scenario, it's an hour before someone can come and remove it," says Kevin Dougherty, president of Barnacle Parking Enforcement.

Fair enough. But still. A barnacle?

Dougherty developed the Barnacle to overcome all the horrible things about the wheel clamps, also known as a wheel boot, a Denver boot, and any combination of expletives. Parking enforcement types typically deploy them against scofflaws with piles of unpaid tickets. But they're almost as big a hassle for them as they are for you. I mean, have you ever carried one? They're also tricky to install.

The Barnacle is a breeze in comparison, weighing in at under 20 pounds. Simply unfold it and stick it on the windshield, aligning it to obscure forward vision. Then use the built-in pump to draw air from the suction cups, creating a vacuum. The integrated GPS signals an alarm if the car moves, alerting Johnny Law to your attempted escape.