Music has charms to soothe the savage breast

You've already seen the stories all over the Internet, but I think Rock Band is our greatest hope for world peace.

I took it with me over the holidays, and I've never seen so many different sorts of people try playing. Even the Wii wasn't this popular last year (and actually, the Wii came along this year, only to be totally ignored in favor of the ROCK!)

There were countless instances of non-gamers stepping out of their shells to play a song ("Oh, it's just like Karaoke!"). There were lots of socially-awkward moments smoothed over by a guitar solo. There were even two exes, with their current spouses, who formed a band and rocked the house. It was great.

Everyone likes playing music, in a group, especially if it doesn't take much skill. And the fact that one player is essentially doing Karaoke makes it totally socially acceptable, unlike any other video game.

So there you have it. Lock up Mahmud Abbas and Ehud Olmert in a room with the whole setup, and watch them bond over their (no doubt) shared love of Aerosmith.