How does your sense of creativity work? Do you think more from your right brain, your left brain, or do you just think the whole idea is a no-brainer? Take this little test to find out.

Somewhere in the can of coffee beans, there’s a man’s head. Ready, set, go look for it!

How long did it take you to find it? If you found the cafeinated dude in three seconds or less, you’re a right-brainer; in a minute or less, you’re pretty much normal; more than a minute, and your left brain is dominant. Interesting, eh? (For more on the whole right-left brain thing, click here).

Since I spotted him right off, I must be pretty right-brained, but I’m guessing a lot of planners are still looking for him… (hint: look in the bottom, left of center).

Link to source, and thanks to Grass Shack Events & Media for the pointer!

If your session presenters tend to go over their allotted time, here’s an idea that might help: A clock you can fasten to the whiteboard. It draws the hour as it goes in dry-erase pen, and just might keep things running on time. Plus, it’s just cool.

Update: Oops, I forgot to put in the link! Here it is.

When pirates in little speedboats tried to attack Carnival’s 10,000-ton Seabourn Spirit off the coast of Somalia with a grenade launcher and machine guns, they were the ones to get the surprise: The ship’s crew blasted back with a sonic blaster that was developed to keep boats from attacking warships. “the non-lethal weapon sends out high-powered air vibrations that blow assailants off their feet. The equipment, about the size of a satellite dish, is rigged to the side of the ship.” (link to article in Britain’s Sunday Times.)

Should you put a sonic blaster on your list of site-inspection items for your next cruise meeting? I don’t know, but it might not be a bad idea, depending on where you’re cruising.

Update: According to CNN, the ship just outran the pirates. I like the sonic boom explanation better, but who knows which is the case.

Ireland’’s low-cost Ryanair airline is betting that in-flight gambling and other services will be lucrative enough that they won’t have to charge passengers for flights in a few years. (Link to TravelMole story, free reg. req’d.)

At least, that’s what airline’s chief executive Michael O’Leary seems to think. The addition of mobile phones, planned for next spring, will open up a whole new era in flight pricing as passengers dial up gambling through their cells or airline-provided equipment, which, according to The Guardian, could bring in up to £170 million in revenue.

The airline boss suggested that the success of in-flight gaming and services such as insurance and car hire could make flights free within four to five years.

“Entertainment is where the real money will be made in the future,” O’Leary reportedly said.

As a non-gambler, would I still get to fly free? Guess we’ll have to wait and see. Be interesting to see if any U.S. carriers fly with this idea…

A guest post from regular Meetings Group writer Kay Carstens:

Ballot initiative 1A passed in Denver earlier this month boosting the lodging tax for Denver hotels by 1%, from 13.85 % of a hotel bill to 14.85% starting in 2006. In dollars, that’s another $4.2 million a year. The Denver Metro CVB will use at least $2.5 million of the proceeds to market the expanded Colorado Convention Center and the Hyatt headquarters hotel. The DMCVB proposed and sponsored the ballot initiative, according to CVB President Richard Scharf. Downtown hotels got on the bandwagon despite the increase in room rates to guests, because a full convention center means increased hotel business. Taxpayers backed it because they won’t have to pay it, and, as Scharf told the Business Journal, “”This tax affects only people staying in hotels,” Scharf said. “So visitors pay a little more, and we benefit a lot.”

From Sue: How many times have we heard this one before? Eventually, you end up cutting off your nose to spite your face with this kind of attitude toward visitors…

Tech guru Corbin Ball, who travels the world speaking about meeting technology, has collected his favorite pet peeves about hotels. And he’s inviting you all to add to his list. I know you want to…go for it.

Remember about a year or so ago when I told you about Scott Ginsberg, the guy who hadn’t taken off his nametag in four years? Now he’s gone one step further and actually gotten one gotten a nametag tattoo on his chest. Wow, talk about dedication to a concept. Me, I’ll stick with the lanyard, thank you very much.

Thanks to B or Not 2B for the pointer!

Hard to believe, but this guy actually collects do not disturb signs from hotels around the world. From his site:

Hotel collectibles have always been popular because people travel widely and enjoy carrying away souvenirs from where they lodge. However, most people take the more common items such as toiletry articles, stationery, matches, etc.

“Do Not Disturb” signs are often overlooked even though some are very attractive and original in design. I started collecting them quite by chance and it soon became an addicting hobby. Sadly, these signs may soon become a thing of the past as more and more hotels are replacing them with hi-tech electronic devices.

And I thought I had some strange hobbies!