I’m not the type of person who collects action figures for their monetary value. In fact, I don’t have any that are left in their original packaging. When I buy them, or when Linda and I buy them together, they are used as inexpensive mini-statues to adorn my desk at work and areas around our condo. Sadly, a lot of action figures are very hit an miss in how well they are sculpted and manufactured. Sometimes the detail and quality are so low they look too cheap for even small children to appreciate. This being the case, when good stuff is released I tend to pay close attention, and Hasbro’s Mighty Muggs line of toys is definitely worth taking note of.

Standing approximately 6” tall (for the smaller variety), these figures are incredibly adorable yet so very cool. Also, for being so “cartoonish” in nature they are surprisingly detailed and well made, each one finely painted and composed of a hardy, lightweight plastic. Spanning the Marvel, Indiana Jones, and Star Wars universes, any genre fan should check them out. By the way, mini Dr. Doom looks awesome on my desk where he helps keep things in order with a tyrannical iron fist while I’m out of the office.

- Joshua

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Yesterday, a co-worker of mine was razzing me for how much I’ve been talking about Genghis Khan as of late. A few months ago, I watched a highly informative, nicely produced documentary about the Mongol ruler, and I found it to be quite fascinating. I had quite a few misconceptions about him before watching it, and I learned a lot of new things I never knew about:

- He is currently the most prolific historical figure. It is stated by genealogists that he procreated with so many women, 1 in every 200 people alive today can trace their lineage back to him.

- His reign of conquest started over the love of his wife. It wasn’t until a neighboring tribe of nomads attacked his village and kidnapped her that he ever initiated combat with anyone outside his own tribe.

- He initially had no intention of conquering Beijing. The Chinese emperor forced this action when he decapitated one of Khan’s trade emissaries. It is said the emperor mistook the intentions of the emissary and thought he heralded the coming of the great Mongol army.

There is so much more I could keep going on about, but I think it is best witnessed in movie format or from within the pages of accurate historical text. Speaking of movies, Mongol came to Anchorage yesterday and is playing at a theater only blocks from our house. You can be sure we’ll be going to see it very soon, and from what I’ve heard, anyone with even the slightest interest in the history of Genghis Khan and the Mongols definitely should not miss it.

- Joshua

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Earlier today, Kotaku, a video game news website, ran an article about the pictured set of armor. It's difficult to tell by the size of the pic (larger pictures are available at this website), but that is a real set of armor fashioned after the Judgement Armor set from the massively-multiplayer on-line role playing game World of Warcraft.

Every couple of years, Blizzard (the creators of World of Warcraft) holds a convention called Blizzcon, an event for fans to get together and celebrate Blizzard's games, as well as enjoy sneak previews of upcoming Blizzard games and products. A popular thing to do at these conventions is dress up like your favorite Blizzard characters, and some of the costumed attendees also participate in costume contests. What the existence of this armor means, essentially, is an automatic first prize. It would take a major effort by someone to create an outfit as spectacular as this, and anyone who has the chops to do so gets major props from us. We're not sure if we can justify a purchase like this with the wedding coming up, but if anyone else could show us this in person, please let us know - we'd love to see it.

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