Design Fashion Fun Game

Thursday 18th October/... NEXON, the ground-breaking development company behind the hugely successful online RPG, MapleStory Europe, is taking player interaction to a whole new level as it launches its first ever Maple Star contest. For three weeks, players will be able to strut their funky stuff and practice their best compliments and put-downs as they vote and take part in a Europe-wide contest that seeks to honour the very best dressed and most stylish characters in the game.

The Halloween-themed competition, which starts on October 18th (alongside the start of MapleStory’s month long Halloween celebrations) challenges players to create the most original and attention-grabbing character possible. Using MapleStory Europe’s rich character customisation system, together with the huge range of costume accessories available from MapleStory Europe’s unique Cash shop, players can let their imagination and design skills run riot as they battle to take the honours in online gaming’s first ever virtual fashion show.

R Txt Msgs the Best Way 2 Alert U?

Virtually all college students come to campus with their own cell phones, but for privacy reasons, telecommunications companies require their subscribers to manually opt in to any mass alert service. The result is that in many cases, the primary obstacle to widespread campus access to text alerts is the students themselves.

"We’re still in the advertising phase, encouraging people to sign up," said Gerald W. Schoenle Jr., the chief of police at the State University of New York at Buffalo. Students at the university must sign up online — a process that takes a minute or two — in order to receive text alerts, which Schoenle said would only be sent in a potential emergency situation. "We wouldn't want it to be like spam or anything like that," he said. The results so far, with the program in only its second month of operation, is some 5,000 signups at a campus of about 28,000 — less than 20 percent of the student population.

Sonics Notebook | Carlesimo doesn't address losing streak

Player of the game: Coming off the bench, Tracy McGrady scored a game-high 28 points on 13-for-23 shooting. He also finished with five assists and four rebounds in 34 minutes.

Play of the game: Late in the second quarter, Kevin Durant drove hard to the basket and ran into Shane Battier. As he stumbled awkwardly, the Sonics rookie threw up a shot that bounced off the back rim, rolled around and fell through for a 52-43 lead.