
Someone's 1990s childhood comes alive in this Georgia estate for sale. See how
If Gen Z bringing back the wide-leg jeans and jelly shoes of the past is leaving you somewhat nostalgic for the '90s, a home that's landed on the real estate market in Duluth, Georgia, is right up your alley.
Especially if you had a Super Nintendo as a kid.
'Nestled on a beautifully landscaped 1+ acre lot, this exceptional 4-sided brick residence offers a rare combination of space, character, and resort-style living in the Berkeley Lake area,' the listing on Realtor says. 'With timeless architectural details and an array of unique features throughout, this home is truly one-of-a-kind.'
And one-of-a-kind, it definitely is.
Each room in the brightly-colored house — which is listed for $900,000 — is a completely different world of its own. At least when it comes to gaming worlds. And it's not just the special floor hidden inside the 6,111-square-foot residence.
'On the Terrace level, discover an Extraordinary Game room and full bath, professionally customized with nostalgic gaming artwork inspired by Mario, Pokemon, Sonic, Pac-Man, and Tetrisa dream space for hosting unforgettable gatherings,' the listing said.
'This Flex Space would also make a great Teen Suite! A wall of windows provides stunning views and abundant natural light, seamlessly connecting the indoor space to the showstopping outdoor retreat.'
There's also gaming artwork pulled from the 'Zelda' franchise in one primary bedroom, which includes 'Triforce' over the bed.
Other features in and around the four-bedroom, four-bathroom house, per the listing, include:
Saltwater poolDeckCovered cabanaKoi pondVaulted ceilingsExposed wood beamsSunroom
The home was even featured on Zillow Gone Wild, a Facebook page that highlights unique residences up for sale, and some applauded the boldness of the interior.
'Tell me you're GenX/Millennial without saying it,' one person said.
'This looks like each family member picked rooms to decorate,' another said.
'It looks like AI was asked to create a house from my memories of 1998,' someone joked.
Duluth is about a 30-mile drive northeast of Atlanta.

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CNET
2 hours ago
- CNET
Character.AI: What to Know About the Role-Playing AI Tool and Its New Video Features
There are a lot of AI chatbots out there, but is an artificial intelligence chatbot with a difference. Unlike traditional chatbots like ChatGPT, Claude and Gemini, which are primarily for productivity, research and answering questions, was built for entertainment, role-playing, companionship and interactive storytelling. You can even use to practice a new language and play games. The brainchild of its namesake company, was launched in November 2021 by former Google engineers Noam Shazeer and Daniel De Freitas. Available in beta until September 2024, you'll now be directed to the website or mobile apps available on iOS and Android platforms, while community forums have been moved to Discord. According to it supports more than 20 million monthly active users. With nearly 200 million total visits equally distributed between male and female visitors, it is most popular with 18- to 24-year-olds. allows you to talk to AI versions of your favorite celebrities, sports stars and world leaders, and because it can hold surprisingly realistic conversations, it is very popular among those looking for engaging dialogue rather than straightforward answers. Another interesting feature is that multiple users can interact with these characters simultaneously, creating a more communal experience. And now, you can use it to generate videos featuring your own characters using new AI tools announced this week. But it's not without its controversies. has been hit with multiple lawsuits about the content it has generated, especially with younger users. There are also concerns about AI chat addiction and unauthorized depictions of real people -- though it does have a disclaimer that you're talking to an AI bot, not a real person, with fictional responses. "I think AI-driven chatbots like will only grow in popularity, especially if we see better regulation and ethical oversight," Fang Liu, professor at the University of Notre Dame and co-editor-in-chief of ACM Transactions on Probabilistic Machine Learning, told CNET. "I don't think AI will replace real human relationships, but it could polarize social behavior." I'll dive into all that and everything else you need to know about How does work? runs on large language models (LLMs). It uses natural language processing (NLP) and deep machine learning to create more natural and engaging conversations. Like other AI chatbots, it's trained on massive amounts of text data, allowing it to recognize context and predict responses. Unlike most chatbots, which often come across as affirmative and apologetic, lets you design characters that adjust their tone based on what you say, and can even sound sassy, like Librarian Linda in the example below. Technically, you can program tools like ChatGPT to give it specific personalities, too, but responses sound more relatable than generic chatbot replies. For example, it can detect emotions from your input and respond with appropriate emotional tones. It maintains short-term context within a conversation, making exchanges feel fluid, though it does not retain long-term memory. How to create your own character From historical figures and celebrities to fictional characters and user-created personas, there's a character for everyone to talk to. Because of its popularity among younger crowds, many characters come from anime and gaming communities. One of the most popular characters is Gojo Satoru from Jujutsu Kaisen, with over 785 million chats. Celebrities like Beyoncé and Elon Musk, along with athletes such as Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, have several character chatbots, each with a few million chats. Meanwhile, Kylie Jenner, South Korean boy band BTS and Harry Styles have multiple bots, each accumulating tens of millions of chats. Certain celebrity characters, like Taylor Swift, have reportedly been removed because of the ToS violations. If none of the existing characters are to your liking, you can easily create your own and define their personality, appearance and even voice. Start with choosing a name that forms the foundation of your character's identity. Next, you'll craft an opening greeting to set the tone for how your character interacts. You can customize it further by selecting a voice, adjusting the conversation style to be more casual or formal and fine-tuning its tone to match its personality. Privacy settings let you decide who can interact with your character, whether you keep it private, share it via a link or make it fully public. Once your character is live, you can chat with it, tweak its responses and refine its personality over time to make it feel even more real. How is it versus other AI companion chatbots? Compared with other AI companion chatbots on the market, is most similar to tools like Chai and Replika. While allows you to switch between multiple characters, Replika focuses on building an emotional bond with a single AI personality. Chai focuses on casual AI conversations with various premade characters, but lacks the deep customization and personality-driven responses that offers. How much does cost to use? is free for its basic version and also offers a premium subscription plan called for $10 per month. This subscription lets users skip queues, ensuring faster access during peak demand, early access to new features and a dedicated community forum. Lawsuits, controversies and other downsides Like any AI tool, has limitations. It can sometimes generate inaccurate information, called hallucinations, or responses that don't quite align with a character's intended persona. It's important to remember that every chat has a disclaimer that these are AI bots, not real people, and their responses should be taken as fiction. While these interactions can be entertaining, experts worry about their impact on social behavior, especially among younger users. "If we don't address the root cause, we'll keep seeing users, especially teens, forming emotional dependencies on AI rather than real human connections," Brandon Purcell, vice president and principal analyst at Forrester Research, told CNET. AI companionship may blur the lines between reality and artificial relationships, raising concerns about anthropomorphism. It's a phenomenon where people attribute human emotions and consciousness to AI and form deep emotional attachments, sometimes treating these interactions as genuine relationships. There are also worries that some users (particularly teenagers) are reporting AI chat addiction and spending excessive time chatting with AI rather than engaging with people in person. "Regulation alone won't solve AI addiction. The real issue is the epidemic of loneliness driving people to these tools in the first place," Purcell warned. The company has introduced new safety measures to address concerns about teen usage. has an age restriction of 13, and 16 for users in the EU. Moderation challenges have also led to legal issues because much of its content is user-generated. The company has faced multiple lawsuits after reports surfaced of AI-generated characters providing sexual content to minors and encouraging violence and self-harm, including a case linked to a teen's death by suicide. Chelsea Harrison, head of Communications at told CNET the company could not comment on pending litigation but said, " takes safety on our platform seriously and our goal is to provide a creative space that is both engaging and safe. We are always working toward achieving that balance." The company also announced support for The Inspired Internet Pledge, created by the Digital Wellness Lab and partnered with ConnectSafely, an organization focused on online safety, privacy, security and digital wellness. Another controversy is the creation of AI characters based on real people, including deceased individuals and celebrities, sometimes with extreme or misleading attributes that could potentially harm their reputations. However, unauthorized depictions of real people remain a gray area. While copyright law protects fictional characters, it doesn't cover an individual's speech or personality. Publicity rights prevent commercial misuse of a celebrity's likeness, but Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act largely exempts platforms like from liability for user-created content. The company's terms of service prohibit unauthorized use of real people's likenesses and voices, but enforcement depends mainly on user reporting rather than proactive moderation. In contrast, companies like Meta have partnered with celebrities who explicitly authorize using their likeness in creating generative AI versions for interactive purposes. New video features In early June, unveiled a suite of new video-generating features. new image-to-video generator is called AvatarFX. It takes your character's avatar picture and animates it, so it "can sing, speak, and engage with the click of a button," according to a new blog post by Scenes on the mobile app allows you to "step into interactive, pre-populated storylines with any of their favorite characters," and later this summer, you'll be able to create your own scenes. Streams lets you create "moments" between two characters. You choose a topic and hit play to watch it play out in video form. This will be available this week on the mobile app and web version of With Imagine Animated Chats, you can animate moments from your chats with characters, and share them on social media. It's only for Plus subscribers, but is available now on the mobile app. New games features In late January, the company made several announcements. It launched a Games beta, introducing three interactive challenges with AI characters. For a limited time, you can play Speakeasy, where you must get a character to guess a secret word without using any forbidden words from the game card. War of Words is a game where you compete against a character in creative contests judged by a referee. Match Me if You Can will test how well you know your character's preferences. Along with the games, Muted Words (web version only) lets you block specific words from appearing in chats. That is a handy feature, especially for younger users. Artificial intelligence is evolving faster than any other technology in history, and tools like are continually improving. As these platforms advance, they'll open up even more ways to interact with digital personalities. For now, is a fun way to experiment with different characters, get creative and see what AI can do beyond just boosting your productivity. If you're struggling with negative thoughts or suicidal feelings, resources are available to help. In the US, call the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988. In the UK, call the National Suicide Prevention Helpline UK at 0800 689 5652. In Australia, call Lifeline at 13 11 14. You can also find help at these 13 suicide and crisis intervention hotlines.


Forbes
2 hours ago
- Forbes
Nintendo Switch 2 Reviews Won't Drop Before Launch — Here's Why
Mario is pictured at a Nintendo display ahead of the launch of the company's Switch 2 console, an ... More electronics store in the city of Nagoya, Aichi prefecture, Japan on June 2, 2025. Are you waiting impatiently for Nintendo Switch 2 reviews to start popping up? You'll need to be a little patient for those, as well as reviews of Mario Kart World and other Switch 2 launch games. In fact, you might have your very own Switch 2 in your hands before you're able to read a review of the console or its launch titles. The Nintendo Switch 2 will launch on June 5. However, Nintendo did not provide Switch 2 units to reviewers ahead of the release date. A company spokesperson told VGC this was because "important features and updates" will be unlocked via a system update that will only be available on launch day. That's despite reviewers being used to games and products getting new features and updates over time and accounting for that in their coverage. Many publishers now only grant reviewers access to review copies once their games are live, especially in cases of live-service games or when there are major day-one patches. But some publishers simply ask reviewers to bear in mind issues that will be resolved with day-one patches or updates that will be soon be available. (Certain companies also sometimes set review embargoes for a game's release date if they're pretty sure their product stinks, but I doubt that's the case for the Switch 2.) Nintendo Switch 2 Nintendo may also have valid technical reasons for not offering reviewers early access to Switch 2 units, as VGC rightfully points out. It could very well be that the company needed as much time as possible to make sure core features like GameChat are working optimally. Reviews are pretty important in the grand scheme of things. Before you spend $450 on a new product, you probably want to know if the thing you're buying works as advertised out of the box. That takes time for reviewers to fully assess. It's a process that requires days, not hours. Having sufficient time to properly analyze new features, and critical factors like battery life without relying on Nintendo's claims of how many hours you'll get on a single charge, is key. Reviews don't inherently exist to tell you what to buy or use your valuable time on. That's up to you. The whole idea of reviews is to help you make more informed decisions on how to spend your time and money. But that's going to be a tough needle for Switch 2 reviews to thread. Many reviewers will feel compelled to rush out coverage as quickly as possible after the Switch 2 launches to ensure they get enough attention from readers and viewers to make their efforts worthwhile. That's not ideal, for either reviewers or their audiences. Switch 2 review scores are unlikely to end up mattering much for Nintendo in any case. The Switch 2 is going to do huge numbers right out of the gate. Many, many people are already clamoring to get their hands on one as soon as possible – including me, for both professional and personal reasons. Lots of people aren't going to wait for reviews to snap up a Switch 2 especially not those who are already lining up for retailers to open on June 5 so they can pick up the console. It's likely that you already have a decent idea of whether you want a Switch 2 now, you're happy to wait until more first-party games and other exclusives are available for the device, or you don't feel the rush to get the console anytime soon. Still, having in-depth Switch 2 reviews available from trusted critics at launch would have been helpful for both consumers and media outlets (many of which are battling to keep the lights on and would have greatly benefited from pre-launch review traffic and views). It stinks for fans and reviewers alike that that won't be an option on launch day. Follow my blog for coverage of video games and word games (though I can't promise I'll have Switch 2 reviews to share). It helps me out a lot! Follow me on Bluesky too! It's fun there. And make sure to subscribe to my newsletter, Pastimes!


Eater
2 hours ago
- Eater
The Best Gifts for an Amazing Host, According to a Party Girl With Taste
Dear guest of someone else's home: I hope you didn't show up empty-handed. Bringing a host or hostess gift isn't just chic; it's good manners! Now, different situations (and different hosts or hostesses) call for different gifts, from earnest to cheeky, casual to Very Special. A three-day weekend at someone's recently renovated Joshua Tree compound merits something a little more premeditated than a $20 bottle of wine; for an intimate evening of takeout, couch rotting, and watching The Rehearsal finale, perhaps a box of cute matches will do the trick. Here's the thing: Everyone wants to go to a party — well, maybe not those Gen Z professional bed-rotters on TikToks who just want to remain horizontal and scroll, but most of us — yet being a host can be burdensome. I speak from experience as someone who throws at least two relatively decadent gatherings a year; it's expensive and exhausting, although I'd argue that it's (almost) always worth it, even if a recycled glass Champagne flute or a stolen pint glass from The Commodore inevitably gets shattered on the floor every time… simply a sacrifice to the party gods. If you've been invited to a party, detach your eyeballs from the infinite scroll and go make some memories! Don't just huff and puff about being late, missing all the mini lobster rolls, or having to stay longer than you'd like to avoid an exorbitant Uber fee; devote a little thought to how your lovely friend or family member put in an undoubtedly Herculean amount of effort (and likely quite a bit of money) to ensure that you, fabulous guest, have a damn good time or else . They built a dirty martini fountain; they made cucumber tea sandwiches; they wiped countertops and bought extra seltzer, all in the name of your amusement and pleasure. Maybe this person isn't just hosting you in their home for a few hours, but as an overnight guest for a night or three (or longer — maybe you're staying with someone for two months while your divorce proceedings get sorted, for instance). In these contexts, when you might unwind on their premises, disrupt their daily routine, and stroll their grounds (even if their 'grounds' are just 400 square feet in Greenpoint), please take a minute to recognize: wow, what a lovely experience this friend has offered you ! You not only evaded the gazillion dollars spent on a hotel or Airbnb, but you probably drank all of their fourth-wave coffee and used all their two-ply toilet paper. You're enjoying their hospitality, and you should show some appreciation. What makes a great host or hostess gift? Something that feels a little luxe, but not enough to embarrass the recipient; think a lovely little indulgence that you feel like you'd need an excuse to buy for yourself. Price doesn't always dictate value — such an object can be acquired for less than 10 bucks. It's the thought that counts, and you want to be clever. Read on for the best host and hostess gifts. A hinoki-scented candle It's no secret that candles make great gifts. They smell good, they establish an elevated ambiance, and they let you build a very tiny little fire in your home. Fun! But as with any heavily fragranced product, tastes diverge and preferences differ as to what smells 'great.' One relatively safe bet: the scent of hinoki, a Japanese cypress tree with a sophisticated, woody, calming aroma. While many hinoki-scented candles are out there, I'm personally a fan of Boy Smells' Hinoki Fantôme. It's a very sexy gender-agnostic scent that's both mysterious and inviting, with notes of cardamom, pear, and oakmoss, like a quiet walk through a forest. Nice olives (for snacking or martinis) While there's a case to be made that cheap olives make the best dirty martinis, they do not make the best gifts. A $30 jar of Williams Sonoma olives may read quiet luxury, but in terms of flavor and snackability, I'm partial to Filthy's olives, these ones stuffed with creamy blue cheese. (FWIW, my friend bartends at an excellent cocktail bar in Hollywood and he says the brand's brine makes the perfect dirty martinis.) Prices taken at time of publishing. Luxardo cherries Speaking of small, round things that are intended to be the finishing touch on a cocktail but which you will want to eat straight out of the jar, one absolutely must mention Luxardo cherries. You've probably seen them on the shelves of high-end cocktail bars, but if you're unfamiliar, these are not just any old maraschino cherries, like the bright red ones that came in your childhood Shirley Temples; they're made with marasca cherries and possess a romantic, sophisticated, almost marzipan-like flavor and a superior texture, and come swimming in a syrup made only of cherry juice and sugar — no weird chemicals or artificial colors. Luxardo is an Italian-run family company that's been in business since 1821, and it takes its cherry products very seriously, specializing exclusively in maraschino liqueur and these fabulous cherries. Plus, the label is gorgeous. My uncle, who is an architect with excellent taste in restaurants and can quote every single film ever shown on Turner Classic Movies, turned me onto these when I was in my 20s, when I watched him frantically search for them at multiple gourmet food stores in Manhattan as he verbally emphasized that they are the only cocktail cherries that matter . Embroidered cocktail napkins In fact, while we're on the topic of bettering a home bartending experience, I'd like to revive appreciation for the embroidered cocktail napkin — a staple of Mad Men times that has been unfortunately subjugated in popularity by stupid millennial graphic coasters. May I never receive a chevron-patterned foam coaster again, and let's imagine the joy one would experience to instead be handed, along with their spritz, a soft linen napkin embroidered with an elegant crane or pelican. Prices taken at time of publishing. If you're into thrifting, the designs of cocktail napkins from the 50s and 60s suggest that maybe people really were partying harder back then. …Don't sleep on cocktail picks, either Cocktail picks are the perfect gift for toting to a party, since they easily fit in a pocket or purse and can immediately be enjoyed with a garnished drink or to pick up and bite into one of those blue-cheese-stuffed olives. I love all of Joanna Buchanan's cocktail picks (this $200 zodiac set is to die for, truly, though certainly not cheap), but to get out of dream world and back into reality, this $25 stainless steel set from West Elm is surprisingly sexy. Prices taken at time of publishing. A mug that reminds me of Princess Diana Practical and wholesome, a great mug will become a kitchen-cabinet staple. When I remodeled my kitchen a few years back, my contractor gave me a Williams Sonoma mug with my initials on it as a gift once the project was completed. I now use it all the time , and when I do, I think of him and his thoughtfulness while I drink my milky Scottish breakfast tea. Of course, the number of great mugs out there is infinite, making it hard to decide which one your host deserves. For no particular reason at all other than it's very cute and it's big — and I love a big, cute mug — I'm infatuated with this Nicholas Mosse sheep mug from store-full-of-adorable-things The Six Bells. It kind of reminds me of that sheep sweater that Princess Diana infamously wore, is hand-painted in Ireland, and its price is in that perfect sweet spot under $50. Prices taken at time of publishing. An ashtray that doubles as a snack receptacle Similar sentiment, slightly edgier feel: a cool ashtray remains highly useful for non-smokers, too, serving as a home for keys, matchbooks, or those really good sesame cashews from Trader Joe's. Prices taken at time of publishing. A chef-approved hand wash that leaves your hands smelling fresh We caught a tip recently that chefs are going wild for Naomi, a new brand of high-end hand wash that is specifically formulated to help eliminate cooking odors. (As garlic-lovers, this definitely appeals.) Our shopping team recently took the bergamot- and black-pepper-scented After-Cooking Hand Scrub for a spin and it's absolutely phenomenal, getting the job done in spades and leaving behind an appealing fragrance on par with the historical king of status hand soaps, Aesop. Plus, great packaging. Prices taken at time of publishing. Impressive olive oil One of the problems with gifting a bottle of wine is that as soon as it's opened, it needs to be consumed within a few days, and therefore will quickly be forgotten. But if you hand someone a bottle of flashy olive oil, it will live on their counter or in their pantry for months, reminding them over and over again of your considerate gesture and your good taste. Flamingo Estate, home to many, many gifts that are so nice you could confidently give them to Gwyneth Paltrow herself, makes our current favorite fancy-schmancy olive oil, announcing on the bottle itself that its produced with olives from 150-year-old trees. This is the kind of stuff that rich housewives in the Silverlake hills try to manifest in yoga class. Prices taken at time of publishing. While I haven't tried it myself, I've also symbolically (and aesthetically — look at that tin) taken to this beautiful Palestinian-made olive oil, Ya Albi, after recently editing a piece about the region's new generation of olive oil makers. Prices taken at time of publishing. A couple of chic cocktail or wine glasses Yes, we are currently in a renaissance of incredible glassware; I doubt that I need to tell you that, or to remind you that everyone could use another set of nice glasses to bring out when they have company. Last Christmas, I got my sister this set of charming, geometric stemless cocktail glasses by the glass wizard Sophie Lou Jacobsen. They're unfortunately sold out now, but in the same spirit, these Anthropologie stemless martini glasses are very similar and reasonably priced, and I'm also blown away by these Serax glasses with a rounded, bubbly foot. Prices taken at time of publishing. As far as wine glasses go, the Eater staff is currently obsessed with short, chonky glasses — they feel more comfortable to wave around while you tell a fascinating story, compared to the nerve-wracking thin-stemmed ones. Prices taken at time of publishing. No need to buy a whole set — it's a little oppressive to give someone who's not a family member or romantic partner something that takes up a lot of cabinet space. Two will do! Three is awkward and four is too many. A vase that looks like a bunch of garlic I mean… just look at it. A real conversation piece. The tomato one is nice, too. Prices taken at time of publishing. Real-deal Russ & Daughters babka Not all of us live within close proximity of a proper Jewish deli that can offer a revelatory doughy, cinnamony babka experience. With that in mind, who wouldn't (besides the gluten-free among us) be delighted to receive a sweet, decadent duo of babkas — one classic, one chocolaty — from famed New York deli Russ & Daughters? Prices taken at time of publishing. Pro tip: Order this gift set from Goldbelly ahead of time and schedule the delivery date to align with your arrival or the day of the party. That way you can not only arrive hands-free, but hopefully be offered a slice yourself. Two birds, one stone. Flaky, fancy salt In the great tradition of things we all want to have around but are sometimes too cheap to buy for ourselves, let us consider fancy salt. A box (or bucket) of Maldon is always appreciated, of course, but showing up with Jacobsen Salt's aesthetic, transportable set of infused salts just feels a little more gift-y. Handsome serving spoons (or better yet, salad claws) Our editorial director Lesley Suter makes a strong case that serving spoons are the ultimate host gift, and it just makes you think: When you set down a beautifully assembled Caprese salad or tray of tater tot casserole, isn't it nice to have some diva'd out utensils with which to serve it? Her picks in this persuasive piece are all top-tier, but right now I'm really into the short-handled (or even handle-free) claw-like ones, like this wood set from Williams Sonoma or the kind-of-nutso stoneware set below that's probably quite heavy but sure looks swish. Still, they're easier to maneuver than two long-handled spoons and a bit easier to store, too. Prices taken at time of publishing. If your event is, like, tomorrow, this surprisingly attractive set of salad tongs is available in three colors, can be overnighted via Amazon, and is expensive-looking considering its attainable $30 price tag. Prices taken at time of publishing. A teeny little frying pan It's unrealistic to buy a host or hostess an entire cookware set, no matter how fabulous their party or home is. But you know what makes a surprisingly clever gift? A small skillet for when you're in the mood for a cute fried egg or two or you want to quickly put together a little Béarnaise sauce for your steak. We're partial — naturally — the one from our collab with Heritage Steel; it's American-made with 5-ply stainless steel and is easy to clean and care for. Sometimes littler is better! Prices taken at time of publishing. A butter curler You know when you take a stick of butter out of the fridge, hoping to spread it all over your beautiful slice of Out of Thin Air sesame gochujang sourdough, and instead it's hard and it's going to tear up the surface of your bread and you're SAD? No longer a problem once you get your hands on one of these cleverly designed butter spreader knives, which you can glide over the top of your butter hunk to achieve a spreadable consistency instantly. A bit of a stocking-stuffer type gadget, but it's currently June, and we still think everyone should have one. Prices taken at time of publishing. Design-forward butter dishes are also having a major moment right now — more on that here. The Bentley of cutting boards Cutting boards are, again, one of those things you could always use more of, especially from a chef-fave brand like Boos. We've gone on and on about how Boos blocks are the luxury vroom-vrooms of cutting boards, thanks to their high-quality wood and durable construction. Prices taken at time of publishing. A vintage Christian Lacroix plate Don't ask me how I stumbled across this discovery, because it's a very long and convoluted story, but it has come to my attention that the French designer Christian Lacroix — in addition to producing beautiful and theatrical clothing — has also made some really exquisite tableware and, more specifically, plates. Prices vary wildly on secondhand sites such as eBay, but if you look strategically you can get a trompe l'oeil plate with his signature embellished cross on it for under $50 — with the original box, might I add. The butterfly collection is nice, too. Prices taken at time of publishing. A box of matches worthy of display Matches come in handy for many reasons; lighting candles, of course; sparking up a slim, cheeky joint; or keeping in your bathroom for houseguests in search of discretion about their activities. Yes, you could grab a matchbox for free at your favorite dive bar, but having a box of illustrated Diptyque matches sitting next to your soap dish is just a quiet flex. I was devastated to find out that all of Diptyque's scented matches are currently sold out, but thankfully, Hibi's beloved Japanese incense matches are currently in stock a few different places online. An eight-pack (below) will probably do the trick for a casual dinner party gift, but a 30-pack will keep your host's home in a state of zen for weeks or months. Prices taken at time of publishing. I also genuinely love the gold-foiled, retro-hippie-chic look of classic Incense Matches, and I find the paper incense from Optatum to be so stylish and decorous, it looks like it belongs next to the sink of a bathroom in Versailles. Prices taken at time of publishing. The perfect candle for living on a kitchen countertop Diptyque, while foolish not to immediately restock its scented matches, also makes a basil-scented odor-removing candle. Yes, it is $75, but according to the brand, it's 'based on a technology that targets and eliminates the molecules responsible for unpleasant odors. It replaces them with green and aromatic combinations of basil, mint, and tomato leaf.' It's $75, but there's a somewhat convincing case here that it could quickly become a high-end kitchen essential. Cookies from an 'it' bakery Eater has accurately referred to Levain as New York City's most popular bakery, although it now has locations in multiple cities, all of which are very busy. I'm going to be totally honest with you: I do not love the cookies from Levain. I'm a flat, chewy, doughy cookie girl and I don't like nuts in my cookies, and Levain's cookies are tall, thick, gooey, and very nut-positive. But I can tell you this with confidence: People go absolutely feral for these cookies. The bakery's closest location to me, in LA's Larchmont neighborhood, is inundated with cookie-seekers at all hours of the day, with lines snaking down the block. I seem to be the only person in the world that simply doesn't vibe that hard with Levain's cookie style, so I can still advise that they will make a well-loved, quickly devoured gift. And honestly, this photo is borderline pornographic and makes me 'get it.' Prices taken at time of publishing. A bottle of special-occasion tequila If you're reading this article, you've decided to go above and beyond the $20-wine-picked-up-at-the-corner-store-on-the-way route, and I personally commend you for that, since frankly, that's what I do 75% of the time I go into an 'I can't show up empty-handed' panic. But while you're here, if you're still thinking, but what about booze?, expand your horizons beyond the compulsory pêt-nat or Sancerre and step it up by bringing a bottle of really good tequila. Eater's guide to the best tequila is comprehensive and might just leave you even less decisive, since they all sound amazing, so I'll narrow it down to two options for you. If you're looking to spend less than $100, go with Siembra Valles reposado. 'But I don't like reposado,' you might say, traumatized by long, barely recallable nights with Mr. Cuervo in college. Fear not — this is a totally different experience. Made by maestro tequilero Don Salvador Rosales Briseño, this tequila has an almost vanilla-like flavor, and is aged in proprietary Missouri white oak barrels. It's also paler than many reposado tequilas you'll see on shelves, because it's only aged for three months, giving it a more blanco-like taste with hints of mint and citrus fruit. Prices taken at time of publishing. If you are blessed with ample expendable income and/or are hoping to impress the unimpressible, show up with a bottle of Rey Sol Extra Añejo. It's considered one of the finest tequilas available — for real! — falling into a special category reserved for those spirits aged a minimum of five years in carefully constructed oak barrels. Its aroma is known for offering rich notes of vanilla, caramel, and wood, and is on par with the most storied, world-famous whiskies in terms of quality and smoothness. Plus, that bottle — you'll definitely want to keep it long after you've taken the last sip. You can trust me, wholeheartedly, on all of the ideas above, and I'll trust that you won't break another one of my Champagne glasses. The freshest news from the food world every day