When things go horribly wrong with track lights . . .wait - isn't that redundant?

So, here we have a track light fixture that doesn't want to stay in the track, and someone has tried to duct-tape it into place (leaving that great melted glue residue - yeech!).

This fixture was mounted above the control booth window, intended to provide worklight on the control console. A task light is usually a very narrow coverage angle light source directed toward the work area. In a Control Booth a narrow beam is helpful to keep the light off of the booth window (to reduce glare and light spill into the audience seating) and out of the operator's eyes'. In this case, the lamp is one of those half-silvered globes intended to bounce light off of a reflector so that it only provides indirect diffuse light -- but with this mis-matched lamp-fixture combination most of the light just goes up into the cylindrical fixture housing.

Scary. I don't even know if it works - I was afraid to turn it on fearing it might burst into flames.

Rules to live by:

1. Don't duct tape lights or anything else that gets hot.
2. Don't duct tape anything that hangs over your head.
3. Don't use duct tape on electrical things (it is a very poor insulator).
4. If your track-light fixture is broken - replace it.
5. Use the correct lamp for the lighting task.