A guy on another site who rides about 12K miles per year recently got radar and he loves it ... obviously he doesn't Need it as he manages to survive and ride a ton, but he likes getting an audible and visual warning of approaching cars. He has it connected to his Garmin so it does some flash frequency thing to alert him to closing speeds.
I am sure I would end up staring at the radar and hit something ahead of me, but this guy like it.
As for pool noodles ... if a driver knows I am there and respects my right to be there, I don't need it. if not, I might as well wrap it around me as padding. Some drivers, I'd bet, would try to hit the pool noodle just to be smart-asses.
If, because of commuting times and lack of alternate routes, you Have to ride a bad stretch of road, stay relaxed. When i was a full-time commuter, for a while I was forced to pick between a few terrible roads at rush hour. That is where I learned to take the lane when I needed to ... I didn't realize until years later that there was a whole religion built around it. I just did it for safety.
Like Jim from near Harvard, I also learned to take the lane and once noticed, give it back when appropriate.
Also ... if you commute on a schedule ... so do the drivers. Likely the same people are passing you every day. Hopefully they will get used to seeing you, and figure out how to cope, just as you will.