That is an interesting idea with the diodes. I want to try that with one or two of the fixtures in my house to see how that works out.
I have a large, antique sign that says "fire escape" hanging over one of the windows in my house as a joke. (1st floor, right next to a door) I pulled it out of a building that was going to be completely renovated. It has 2 lampholders, which were wired in series. on top of that, the fixture was wired for 120 volts but had 240 volt bulbs in it. It barely glowed at all. It looked cool, though, and the original bulbs are still (sorta) glowing strong.
