In a turn of events that has as its consequence a deep sense of personal relief, Gabriel has finally conceded that the PC is a legitimate gaming platform with the purchase of an incredibly powerful laptop. I think it was the imminence of Aion that provided the final push - it’s not the only game, certainly, but one in a list which includes Star Wars: The Old Republic and is primarily concerned with that subset of electronic entertainment known as “Online Delights.”

Even in the beta of Aion, which didn’t have the breadth of customization now available in the retail product, players could create stunningly attractive characters of both sexes. World of Warcraft characters have always had powerful silhouettes, an extension of Blizzard’s interface genius, and it’s easy to tell that their avatars are intended to be bipedal sentients of some kind. By comparison, when you create your counterpart in Aion, there is the fear that it might escape from your computer and lead a life of its own because it is indistinguishable from a real person.

Female characters in Aion are worthy of particular mention. We have decided that “hot” is too tawdry to represent their ethereal nature, and have decided instead that they are authentically beautiful. Of course, when I create female characters, it’s a sign of some furled depravity waiting to burst to its full dimensions. When he makes one, apparently it’s the awesome thing to do.

As marketing fluff goes, “They Were Warned Not To Mistake Grace For Mercy” is substantially more robust than one expects from a banner ad.

I am currently obsessed with Turntables, but luckily I’ve had enough actual experience with these devices to understand that actually buying a set would be a fool’s errand. It’s just that I’ve finally finished Last Night A DJ Saved My Life, and I’m swollen with the rugged defiance of their renegade praxis. I would have assumed that something like Beat Juggling (where a cut from two records can be bounced back and forth to extend it) was an impossible feat, and ceased to investigate it, but I am often guilty of mistaking the merely unprecedented for the thoroughly impossible. The movie “Scratch,” apparently watchable in its entirety on YouTube, is a mightily enjoyable primer. You might check the trailer for this director’s new movie, “Art & Copy,” if you would like to invest some fallow moment in a thoroughly enjoyable enterprise.

Oh, and also, JESUS FUCKING CHRIST

(CW)TB out.

i have to celebrate you