Starting seeds in a chick incubator

What a cool idea...a friend of mine has an incubator that they no longer use to hatch eggs in and now use it to start seeds! With the adjustable heater and water wells it makes for a warm and humid atmosphere.

Here are a couple of other 'Mother of Invention' (as in 'necessity is the...') -type techniques to be used at the discretion of the experimenter with regard to 'protective padding', etc.:

- on top of the cover of an aquarium light [I have a 10-gallon aquarium--currently unoccupied, but that's not relevant--that's equipped with a 14-watt fluorescent bulb. In my experience it's worked brilliantly; depending on the seed-type, I have more or less 'heat-absorbing factor' under the seed container, which could be an oven mitt (I kid you not!), a face-washing cloth, paper towelling, etc..

The tank in question is still half-filled with highly saline H2O (NOT a requirement--I'm just a world-class procrastinator at times!); when empty, my plan is to have seed trays on top of the fluorescent cover, as well as seed trays UNDER the actual fluorescent (double whammy). Needless to say, I experiment, A LOT. I have a conventional heating pad that I haven't set-up yet. Previously, I've also relied on a desk-top fluorescent lamp for top-heat---and this has proven effective as well.]

- the top of a conventional (pre- flat screen) desktop PC; with significant heat absorbing material.

The point ot the above-stated improvisations is that the heat sources are stable. My fridge top, for example, doesn't emit ANY warmth--it's consistently cool. We have conventional heat radiators that are useless if one lives with curious and meddlesome animal companions!

Has anyone out there done anything similar?