Haha, actually I have been seen holding the camera upsidedown and firing the flash into my shirt. The light isn't directional, but it's a nice, soft diffused light and a much larger lightsource than a mini-softbox. But that's my last resort. There's always other people to bounce off of.
I just came up with an idea! Hey, if I market a photographic vest made out of crinkled aluminum foiled (with some pockets for accessories, of course) do you think I could sell them for $60 to photographers who want to use your technique, where they fire the flash into their aluminum photo vest and use it as a big reflector when there is no ceiling or walls nearby? 
the Wilt Fong vest...and every once in a while I could come up with an improved version and sell it for a higher price. The first improvement could be the vest wtih white anti-chafe collar that doubles as an additional reflective surface to keep light from going backward away from the subjects and serves as a catchlight...$80 The second improvement could be a vest with replaceable panels, to permit gold panels for warming vs. white panels for softer light vs. silver panel for greater shooting range...$100. The third improvement, a vest with translencent white back panel, which can be flipped around the front to even out the light distribution from the silver vest panel...$120
