I'm always looking to conserve energy, and have long-ago adopted LED light bulbs for a handful of locations in my small apartment. They use so little energy, in fact, that they tend to stay on 24/7. They don't produce enough light to distract me from sleep, yet illuminate dark hallways just enough in the pitch of night.

I'd picked up some 2-watt LED bulbs from one of my favorite retailers, Computer Geeks.com, and was always disappointed with the 'spotlight' feature (typical of all LED Bulbs). I wanted a dispersed glow, like a regular light bulb. So, being hackerly, I hopped to a quick and dirty solution.

1. I took a piece of scrap plastic (this was the outer packaging for something - it's thick, flexible, and sand-blasted finish), folded it lightly in half. I used a hand-held hole-puncher to punch a single hole through both layers of plastic at the open end, then used some scissors to 'round' the ends of the plastic.



2. I snipped two 'slots' from the sides, so it can slip over the cord, and also use the opposite slot to 'lock' the diffuser over the bulb.



3. Simply put one hook over the cord, then the other, snapping the two together, and the plastic will bow out, away from the bulb. This will allow any heat generated to escape. I wouldn't use this with any regular incandescent bulbs, as they'll definitely melt the plastic!