Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer received only half of his potential bonus, a mere $670,000 (insult!) from the Microsoft board of directors after his recent performance review (yes, EVERYONE has to do performance reviews).

The reason for the halved cash bomb? The dismal performance of the Kin, the not-really-all-that-smartphone that Microsoft canceled after just 79 days. The public shaming adds extra pressure on the imminent release of Windows Phone 7, which is awfully late to the game but has gotten some pretty good early buzz. Ballmer is the 16th richest person in America. Still.

Meanwhile, Microsoft may be about to acquire Linden Labs, makers of Second Life, a thing everybody cared about a while ago but nobody does anymore. From there, they may go on to acquire Friendster and Pets.com.