(To maintain the prior analogy, "alts" can be considered children. Of course, if you're on an RP server, that's probably true both ways. Nerd.)

Like Tycho said the game really does change as you progress. Since we hit level 60 Kara and I have started no less than five alts and are playing back through the game with new characters and having a blast. The problem we ran into at 60 is that our adventures became more like a trip through some sort of fantasy casino. At 60 we’re no longer gaining XP so what that means is that now we’re after loot. Like pretty much every other Rogue I’m hungry for the Shadowcraft armor and Kara like any good Druid is hunting down her Wildheart set. So every other night we jump into a ten man raid group and we run through one of the three instances that hold these rare treasures. Like a trip to Vegas this involves a lot of finger crossing and dice rolling. Every time no matter what group we fall in with it’s exactly the same. The most effective paths through each of these dungeons has been plotted out long ago and like a ride a Disney Land we simply latch the bar and follow the rails. The same mobs are pulled in the same order and through the same rooms while the same spells are cast for roughly two or three hours.

You really have to play this game. I've never seen anything quite like it.

Until something comes out that will wrest us from WoW and Battlefield, games industry, I warn you- it's baked treats from here on out. Unless of course you want to see an illuminating meditation on pies. Because the chances of that are really very high.

There were user-created means to apply wallpapers with earlier hacks, but for those of you checking out the new firmware it might be the first time you've tried them out. I just made this one for myself, but you're welcome to it. I'd link the artist's site, but last time I did that, I'm told that the rack which hosted her equipment burst into flames.

We were talking about this the other day, and I knew it was coming soon, but I didn't figure on a week or so - you can find it here.

This year at comic con Kara and I decided to make World of Warcraft themed sketchbooks. We both got a ton of great artwork and I just happen to have my book here at the office so I figured I’d scan a couple. My book is packed with great stuff and I want to thank all the artists who took time to draw in it. Here’s just a sample of what I came away from San Diego with.

Well the final word from Think Geek is that the CTS prints actually sold out in just under 30 minutes. Wow.

The CTS gets sketched hundreds of times over the course of a Comic Con, and trained so by our readers I suppose it was inevitable that he would emerge in the strip. I might inadvertently be giving you information that you could misuse here.

I've been calling the randomly selected contestants in the Omegathon, who are called Omeganauts, and I've been having to find other people on the list because maybe twenty or so people have turned down this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. I understand that the competition for our second Omega Collection is fierce, and that you may not believe you have the constitution to face these challenges.

MC Frontalot is playing one final show in New York on Saturday. Here’s a link to the show flyer with all the important info.

This is just a note to let everyone know that the new CTS print goes on sale July 26th at 9:00pm Pacific time. It will be available through our online store over at Thinkgeek. We made 750 of these prints and 500 of them were reserved for online sales. Each of these prints is signed and includes a small metal medallion etched with the PA logo and your prints number out of 750. Every print comes with a certificate of authenticity and is already matted and ready for framing.

Desperate times call for desperate measures, thought it appears that even a dark round of Retail Roulette may have its sweet rewards. I have things that I'm looking forward to long term, like Stardock's new Galactic Civilizations or Heroes of Might and Magic V. But Battlefield 2 and World of Warcraft together amount to single game that monopolizes every moment past nine p.m., Pacific Standard Time.

Yukon Makoto sometimes stops by the booth at San Diego Comic-Con, Yukon Makoto, whose 10k Commotion ("Tenkay") I will admit to being completely obsessed with.

After reading an article recently - and seeing the effect on the economy - I wondered, perhaps for the first time: What Would Gabriel Do?

Kara and I hit 60 last night in WOW. It feels real good. I also had my first encounter with a real GM last night. Over the weekend I met quite a few Blizzard employees at Comic Con. Apparently reading PA is some kind of pre-requisite for a job there. Anyway I chatted for a while with a couple GM’s who explained to me that the majority of their work involves the restoration of items. I remember distinctly cracking a couple jokes about how stupid a person would need to be in order to not only sell off some rare item but also not notice in time to buy it back from the vendor. Fast forward to last night.