Crossed Lamps ============= Last weekend we bought two Rodd_ lamps at Ikea for the guest room, and it struck me how amused I'd be if each one switched the other. Six hours and a few new parts later, and it came out pretty well: .. youtube:: DbliHjD3zWo :align: center :width: 425 :height: 344 The remote action is especially jarring because the switches are right next to the bulbs they would normally control: .. attachment-image:: ikea-rodd.png :width: 241px :height: 430px :alt: Ikea Rodd lamp head .. _Rodd: http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/00192419/#/70192425 .. read_more I really lucked out with those lamps. The switches aren't integral to the bulb sockets as is often the case, and they're not even soldered. I was able to fit two extra wires through the lamp's main tube without going to a wire gauge that felt scarily thin -- LED bulbs helped there. Kate felt the whole thing would just annoy people so I built a hidden control box under the bed: .. attachment-image:: crossed-lamps-control.jpg :width: 427px :height: 320px :alt: Crossed Lamps Control Box With that in place we can disable the effect, or have both lamps controlled by one side's switch, which is almost arguably useful. .. tags: ideas-built, funny, home