I'M UP! I'M UP!

[errantember]

Click pic for more pictures.

In my last post I mentioned this cool lamp I had made out of my 300-watt floor lamp. I just woke to the sound of exploding glass and the smell of burning bedsheets and melting comforters! The only reason broken, superheated glass didn't rain down directly on my naked body is because I wasn't comfortable last night with how heavy the lamp had become, so I moved it from directly above my head to the stronger side of the metal frame. As it was, I was still *very* lucky that hot shards of broken glass didn't randomly land in my eye or in my mouth! I had to poke beads that were industriously burning their way through my bedsheets with my fingers onto the floor, where they continued to melt into the carpet. I've got the windows open and the fan running full-tilt to get the toxic fumes out of my room.

Oh. And I'm out of bed.

It worked!

Comments

[gailmom.livejournal.com]

hmmm...while I am pleased you are up, I must say that I don't think this is the most sustainable system you've ever tried.

[errantember.livejournal.com]

Agreed. I was expecting a higher re-usability quotient for parts.

[kadairk.livejournal.com]

That's a hellified alarm clock. I'll stick with my cell phone alarm, thanks. ;)

Glad you're okay! Yikes.

[rkentspeth.livejournal.com]

Oof, I'm glad you're not hurt!

*hugs*

[bramblekite.livejournal.com]

aaa! Maybe you should just get one of those alarm clocks that makes noise and runs away.

[errantember.livejournal.com]

Thanks. If someone asks me for evidence of my leading a charmed life, this would be a good story to tell.

[jenmarie.livejournal.com]

ACCKKK!

Yeah, I think this plan needs retooling.

The DIY sunrise simulators I found online look to be some pretty in-depth undertakings... potentially dangerous and/or cost prohibitive (but fun and challenging!). There are also quite a few for sale on Amazon and various holistic health sites.

No more sleeping under things that go 'splody, please? Continue to pursue your other methods of possible self-immolation, of course, but this plan seems to be too much of a Bad Idea. ;D

[errantember.livejournal.com]

It definitely has a Flipside 2011 flair to it!

[errantember.livejournal.com]

It's also worth noting that nothing about the control mechanism or bad wiring caused the explosion, just heat. A 300 watt halogen floor lamp makes a *lot* of it, and there was just too much at once for the glass bowl I had holding up the glass beads. It shattered when the lamp went to full power, but it had been at half power for many minutes before, heating the beads themselves thoroughly.

I have a Philips GoLITE on order (and did when I made the lamp), and in the meantime have replaced the floor lamp with and ordinary table lamp.

[worldmegan.livejournal.com]

WOW.

Do you ever get the feeling the universe is trying to tell you something?

[errantember.livejournal.com]

Fire and Brimstone from the Heavens does seem to ring a bell.

Note that I didn't get out of bed right away. I verified that all the glass in the bed was on the comforter, sluffed it onto the ground, poked the hot beads off the bed, watched then for a few minutes to make sure the rate they were eating through the carpet was unlikely to cause a fire, then stayed in bed for at least another 30 minutes.

[worldmegan.livejournal.com]

I think I perceive a note of pride near the end of your last sentence, and it CRACKS ME UP.

[errantember.livejournal.com]

We have now verified that it is, in fact, necessary to go so far as the bed to *actually* be on fire *right now* to force me out of bed. Smouldering and toxic fumes are not enough.

[worldmegan.livejournal.com]

It doesn't reeeeeally sound like it forced you out of bed. It sounds like you *dared* it to force you out of bed, and it lost.

[worldmegan.livejournal.com]

Actually getting out of bed was, like... your victory lap.

[errantember.livejournal.com]

I was really tired after I got up, too, because I couldn't fall asleep last night.

I have the GoLITE incoming, and I replaced the 300-watt floor lamp with a much more conservative, non-superheated-glass-throwing table lamp and a G.E. Reveal bulb. Will try it before I go to bed, and in the morning when I get up.