About: My name is Randy and I am a Community Manager in these here parts. In a previous life I had founded and run the Instructables Design Studio (RIP) @ Autodesk's Pier 9 Technology Center. I'm also the author of…

People are always wondering how it is that I make so many inventive things. This is normal day-to-day stuff for me. I just do it. I don't really know how to do anything else. What is more mind-boggling to me is how everyone else does those other things like clean their homes, feed themselves, and get dressed in the morning. These commonplace tasks that people take for granted I find utterly challenging. While there are so many things that I struggle with, one such task I'm particularly bad with is remembering to zip my fly back up after going to the bathroom.

The Discreet Pants Fly Checker was made with this in mind. Basically, this is a device that lets you discreetly check in public whether or not your pants fly is up. By pressing a button located in the watch pocket of your pants, a small pager motor alerts you to whether or not the zipper is up. Basically, the zipper of the pants was enhanced with two strands of conductive thread which form a complete circuit when bridged. A small circuit board with a battery, button and motor attached then snaps into the watch pocket. Finally, when the button is pressed, and the zipper is closed, the circuit is completed and the motor vibrates.

How discreet you want to be about pulling your fly back up when it is down is up to you, but at least you do not have to be grabbing your crotch uncertainly all the time. That at least is a drastic improvement.