And if that wasn’t bad enough, the conversion rate is outrageous. For example, if I pay $5 dollars to Mafia Wars, I get 21 Godfather points. That can get me one (1!) “experimental crate” that has a 60% chance of being a common item. If I wanted to waste $5 that way, I’d go get a grab bag at the Sanrio store. At least maybe then I’d get a Hello Kitty notepad.

In all honesty, I don’t understand how these things make any money at all. The people who have that sort of extra cash would seem to be the sort of people who would not have an interest in that sort of game in the first place. It’s not like they generally unlock mini-games, or are even particularly helpful in the game you’re playing.

Seriously, people. What is this?

Chuck Norris protects baker

Store bosses have seen off burglars by placing a life-sized photo of Hollywood action star Chuck Norris in the window.

The posh bakery shop in Split, Croatia, had been broken into almost every week until they put up the poster of the karate champ with a sign saying: “This shop is under the protection of Chuck Norris.”

Now the bakery hasn’t had a single burglary for more than a month.

Sales assistant Mirna Kovac said: “To be honest we just started it as a joke but it really has worked. Thieves haven’t been anywhere near us for ages. People seem to respect him.

“Everyone around here has seen his films and he’s quite a popular character, perhaps even among criminals, so they’ve decided to leave us alone.”

She added though: “We have had a few customers come in and ask us whether they can get Chuck’s autograph. They really believe he is sitting in our storeroom out the back ready to pounce on any burglars.”

from Ananova

Man, and I always thought that sounded so fun.

The best part about this, though, is the comments that the viewers left on the images.

No, it’s not really available, but I’d sure as heck buy that.

Due to an overwhelming tsunami of requests from YOU THE PEOPLE, we have decided to TRY and bring this to life. We have no clue if the suits at Lucasfilms will grant little ThinkGeek a license, nor do we know how much it would ultimately retail for. But if you are interested in ever owning one of these, click the link below and we’ll try!

Now I only need to find a child to kidnap.

First up, a guy who stabs his teenage son for wearing a hat in church.

A 58-year-old man stabbed his teenage son who refused to take off his hat at church earlier in the day, Baltimore police said.

The father and his 19-year-old son got into an argument in the 700 block of Vine Street on Sunday afternoon.

That’s when police said the father went to a car and got a knife. He stabbed his son in the left buttock and fled, police said.

The son was taken to University of Maryland Medical Center for treatment. The father’s name was withheld pending his arrest.

I honestly can’t think of anything to add to that except that I’m grateful that it’s not just us Midwesterners who do crazy stuff like that.

–

Interesting news in the wake of the Michael Phelps “incident,” 40 percent of Americans favor legalizing marijuana. I’m not sure where I stand on this spectrum, but I don’t see the huge difference between pot being legal and alchohol being legal. Only 46 percent of Americans are against the legalization of pot, and it’s been theorized that legalizing it could help California out of the financial sinkhole they are currently in.

–

Of interest to nerds who like their music and movies free, the trial of The Pirate Bay continues. I (sort of) understand where the recording industry is coming from. An interesting Canadian study says that things like BitTorrent don’t stop people from buying music. I’ve found this definitely to be true in my life, not that I’ve downloaded music from BitTorrent. But I would much rather listen to a CD before I buy it, whether I borrow it from someone or whatever. And when I like a band I’m incredibly loyal, and buy every CD I can get my hands on. Really. I’m the customer they want downloading their stuff illegally.

Also, as TorrentFreak points out so nicely, it’s not just about music anymore. Gaming, along with many other factors, have also led to the decline of the music industry.

A massive selection of entertainment alternatives (home computing, console gaming, mobile devices, etc.) have appeared in the home, effectively marginalizing music as an activity. 15-20 years ago, youths would regularly visit each other just to listen to music together; today, that is virtually unthinkable without some form of activity involved, such as playing Guitar Hero or Rock Band, or dancing at a concert.

And there’s quite a lot of truth to this. I can’t think of the last time I just sat and listened to music without multitasking: driving, reading, checking email, writing. I do it once in a blue moon when I’m trying procrastinating, and that’s about it.

–

And finally, a feel good story:

The awesome people at Weta gave Nadya Vessey, a double leg amputee, her own mermaid tail.

Miss Vessey, from Auckland, New Zealand, said: “I never had a fantasy to be a mermaid. I am still getting used to it because it requires you to swim in a different kind of way.

“Children sort of go ‘oh, a mermaid.’ People who like it more, I think, are adults.”

Miss Vessey approached Wellington based Weta with the ambition of making a tail that was both practical and beautiful and is delighted with the finished article.