My Game Center

Part of Microsoft’s Redmond campus was transformed into a digital playground Saturday, with nearly 400 kids from all over the state taking part in an inaugural Boys & Girls Club TechFest.

The event, which was open to Boys & Girls Club members in second through 12th grades, included a myriad of technology-focused kids’ activities, including robotics, claymation and career workshops. Participants also got to try out some forthcoming releases for the Xbox and Kinect, including Kinect Sports 2 and Dance Central 2.

Todd Conley, a Microsoft employee who helped oversee the event, said approximately 100 Microsoft employees volunteered their time at TechFest, and the company donated $17 an hour to all of the Boys & Girls Club staff who participated.

Matt Watrous, executive director of Boys & Girls Clubs of Washington, said the event is a way to help clubs learn about the latest educational technology while also exposing their kids to a style of learning they might not get at home.

The organization is looking at replicating the event in other major U.S. cities where Microsoft has a presence, Watrous said.

“If something like TechFest is successful in Redmond, it can be successful in other places,” he said.

Check out the video to learn more about the event.

Suddenly we’re the pick ‘em equivalent of Texas A&M.

In the first half of the 2011 season, we were 54-26-2 vs. “the number.” Ever since the second half started, we seem like a different team, going 9-15 in the last two weeks (4-8 in Week 9).

If not for our continued success in the “two more you shouldn’t ignore” realm, we’d have nothing to smile about. We’re 14-3 down there, so if you’re into that sort of stuff, you might want to just skip to the bottom where we have more freedom to peruse the board.

But, hey, it’s not like we’re out looking for work. After 108 games, we’re 63-41-2 (two games weren’t on the board), with a straight-up record of 80-28.

TOP 10 GAMES (Sat., Nov. 5)

1) No. 1 LSU at No. 2 AlabamaSat., Nov. 5 — 8 p.m. ET, CBS

With so much being said about this titanic battle between the Tigers and Tide, here’s an attempt to boil away their similarities and simplify their differences.

LSU (8-0, 5-0 in SEC) is the superior team along all the edges.

Alabama (8-0, 5-0) is tougher through the middle and across the lines.

Even when matching up those strengths against each other, it seems like a draw.

Nevertheless, the thinking here is that Tiger cornerbacks Tyrann Mathieu and Morris Claiborne have a significant advantage in their chess match with Crimson Tide quarterback A.J. McCarron, who doesn’t have the luxury of a “Julio Jones” at wideout. LSU won’t need to offer either of those elite corners much help over the top with a safety. those guys will be focused on the action in the box, if not already in there.

That’ll make it tougher on Alabama to gain the yards necessary on first down to stay out of predictable down-and-distance situations, that will allow the LSU to turn up the heat.

The Tigers, on the other hand, have Rueben Randle, who can expertly stretch the field from his wide receiver position, and the mischievous nature of Les Miles. those two men will at some point generate a key set of yards that’ll provide the turning point.

Believe it or not, the visitor in this series is 27-13-1. The home team has captured the last two meetings, but the hosts have never taken three in a row.

Opening point spread: Alabama by 6

The pick: LSU 19-17

2) No. 10 South Carolina at No. 8 ArkansasSat., Nov. 5 — 7:15 p.m. ET, ESPN

This prediction comes courtesy of Marc Doche (@MDoche) from the P101 satellite office in Burbank, Calif.

It’s not a total surprise to have a pair of top-10 battles featuring SEC squads in the same week, but to see Arkansas and South Carolina involved is rather unexpected. Last year’s tilt between the Razorbacks and No. 1 Alabama was the first top-10 battle in Fayetteville since 1979 and the Gamecocks haven’t been involved in a contest between top-10 teams since the 1987 Gator Bowl when they were defeated by LSU.

Both teams have been prone to slow starts, with Arkansas (7-1, 3-1 in SEC) posting a trio of double-digit comebacks this season and South Carolina (7-1, 5-1) allowing the opposition to score first in each of their eight games this year and the last 11 overall. The similarities stop there.

With a pair of young replacements in the backfield who have led the offense to just 14 points in each of the last two weeks, the Gamecocks have relied on the nation’s top-ranked pass defense to walk away victorious in each of those road contests.

The Hog passing attack (321 yards per game, ninth in the nation), led by junior quarterback Tyler Wilson, has helped the offense put up at least 38 points in each of its five home victories. Efficiency is the key, as Wilson has not thrown an interception in his last 176 attempts, spanning 18 quarters, while having four of the top-10 receivers in Razorback history at his disposal.

Additionally, Arkansas ranks second nationally with three kick returns for scores and its ball-hawking defense has snagged an interception in each of the last four games.

It all adds up to Razorback Stadium hosting its sixth consecutive Homecoming victory and the Gamecocks falling for the third straight time there to snap a six-game road winning streak.

Opening point spread: Arkansas by 5

The pick: Arkansas 33-17

3) No. 17 Kansas State at No. 3 Oklahoma StateSat., Nov. 5 — 8 p.m. ET, ABC/ESPN2

Three is the loneliest number in the BCS. To the top two go the spoils. The team slotted third — where the Cowboys currently find themselves — is left to wonder what might have been (and complain about the system along with the rest of us).

Since No. 1 and No. 2 are going to butt heads on Saturday, Oklahoma State (8-0, 5-0 in big 12) is a virtual lock to move into the “championship game zone” if it can get past visiting Kansas State (7-1, 4-1).

The Wildcats had their bubble burst last week by Oklahoma, which rolled up 690 total yards against K-State in a 58-17 rout. They’ll have their hands equally full with the Cowboys, who have a wicked offense led by quarterback Brandon Weeden, with assistance from running back Joseph Randle and wideout Justin Blackmon.

Oklahoma State’s defense doesn’t get the highlight coverage, but it’s dangerous as well, leading the nation with 29 takeaways, which supports a national-best turnover margin of +2.38.

After bottling up Baylor, 59-24, there’s no reason to think that the Cowboys won’t do something similar to the ‘Cats.

Opening point spread: Oklahoma State by 21

The pick: Oklahoma State 52-27

4) Texas A&M at No. 7 OklahomaSat., Nov. 5 — 3:30 p.m. ET, ABC/ESPN2

The Sooners might want to let the Aggies run out to an early lead.  all three of Texas A&M’s losses this season (including last week’s 38-31 loss to Missouri, which P101 correctly tabbed to require overtime) have been of the come-from-ahead variety, leading by a combined 46 points at halftime.

A more likely scenario involves Oklahoma (7-1, 4-1 in big 12) leaning on quarterback Landry Jones even more than usual with the absence of tailback Dominique Whaley (fractured ankle) to shred the porous Aggie pass defense (dead last in the nation).

Texas A&M (5-3, 3-2) beat the Sooners last year in College Station, but have historically performed poorly in Norman, where the Sooners will be focused on starting a new home winning streak.

Opening point spread: Oklahoma by 13 1/2

The pick: Oklahoma 42-31

5) No. 6 Oregon at WashingtonSat., Nov. 5 — 10:30 p.m. ET, FSN

This prediction comes courtesy of Shane Hedani from the P101 satellite office in Maunawili, Hawai’i.

Most of the country looks at Stanford and Oregon as the clear elite teams in the Pac-12 North, but we don’t want to overlook the Huskies. they got taken to the woodshed by Stanford on “The Farm,” 65-21, but get to host the Ducks in an emotional home game that’ll be the last played at the current Husky Stadium.

The key for Washington (6-2, 4-1 in Pac-12) is running back Chris Polk (1,016 yards on the ground), who has been showing that he is the one with “BEAST MODE” in town. only Cal has held him under 100 yards rushing this year. He provides the balance the Huskies needs for quarterback Keith Price to be successful. But, Oregon (7-1, 5-0) has the talent in the secondary (No. 8 in pass efficiency defense) to focus on slowing Polk down.

On the other side of the field, Washington defensive coordinator Nick Holt now has to be prepared for multiple offensive units. Any combination of Darron Thomas, LaMichael James, Kenjon Barner, De’Anthony Thomas and Bryan Bennett can be in the Oregon backfield, all bringing something a little different to the table.

The rust will be dusted off and the Ducks will be in “BEAST MODE” to make sure they leave UW with the W.

Opening point spread: Oregon by 15

The pick: Oregon 45-34

6) No. 23 Cincinnati at PittsburghSat., Nov. 5 — 7 p.m. ET, ESPNU

There’s a vast difference between how these two teams spent last week.

Cincinnati (6-1, 2-0) rested up and crafted its plan to stay undefeated in big East play.

Pittsburgh (4-4, 2-1) was fully engaged in a 35-20 victory over Connecticut, which came at a supreme price as superstar running back Ray Graham tore ligaments in his right knee on the fourth play of the game. With Graham on the shelf, the Panthers turned to uneven quarterback Tino Sunseri and he responded beautifully with a 29-of-42 outing that resulted in 419 passing yards.

Sunseri also accounted for three touchdowns against the Huskies, but don’t count on him having that same type of night against the Bearcats, who have the type of defense that will easily stonewall the Graham-less running game and focus on making life miserable for the Panther triggerman.

Opening point spread: Cincinnati by 2 1/2

The pick: Cincinnati 34-23

7) Texas Tech at TexasSat., Nov. 5 — noon ET, FX

The Red Raiders are a picky bunch. they only pay attention to big fish. Iowa State? Nah, let them go.

Texas Tech (5-3, 2-3 in big 12) is only interested in bagging trophies like Oklahoma.

Although Texas (5-2, 2-2) isn’t on the Sooner scale this season, its big brand name means the Red Raiders will be there for a full fight.

Opening point spread: Texas by 10

The pick: Texas 31-28

No. 4 Stanford at Oregon StateSat., Nov. 5 — 3:30 p.m. ET, ABC

The Beavers specialize in traps like this.

While we doubt that the Cardinal, who can turn on the brute strength and turn to Andrew Luck, are going to get toppled, it would be foolish to not think that there will be a letdown between the emotionally draining three-overtime victory at USC and next week’s showdown versus Oregon.

The Trojans know all about scenarios like this. In 2008, top-ranked USC, fresh off a huge victory over No. 5 Ohio State, got bushwhacked by the Beavers, who were a 25-point underdog.

Granted, Oregon State (2-6, 2-3 in Pac-12) isn’t as talented as that squad three years ago, but it is speedy enough to take advantage of some of the weaknesses that Stanford (8-0, 6-0) exhibited last Saturday at the Coliseum.

Opening point spread: Stanford by 20 1/2

The pick: Stanford 42-27

9) Notre Dame at Wake ForestSat., Nov. 5 — 8 p.m. ET, ABC/ESPN2

November is here and Irish eyes are smiling.

Last season, Notre Dame (5-3) was 3-0 in November, extending Brian Kelly’s personal 11-game winning streak during the month, which extends back to his days at Cincinnati.

The Irish begin this month’s three-game ACC test drive at Wake Forest (5-3, 4-2) and should go 3-0 before getting crushed at Stanford on Nov. 26.

The Demon Deacons are not well at this point in the season, having just committed five turnovers en route to a 49-24 loss at North Carolina. That sort of thing should sound all too familiar to the Irish.

Opening point spread: Notre Dame by 13 1/2

The pick: Notre Dame 31-27

10) Army at Air ForceSat., Nov. 5 — 3:30 p.m. ET, CBS

The Black Knights got a lift from backup quarterback Max Jenkins in last week’s 55-0 drubbing of Fordham. Subbing for an injured Trent Steelman, who had started the previous 32 games, Jenkins rushed for a pair of scores while triggering an attack that rolled up 514 rushing yards.

Considering the Falcons’ familiarity with this sort of attack, Army (3-5) might need a little more than the 30 yards of passing offense that Jenkins provided against the Rams.

Air Force (4-4, 1-3 in MWC) had a similar afternoon last week as Conner Dietz came on in relief of an injured Tim Jefferson and piloted a 42-0 victory at New Mexico.

We’ll have to side with a fired up Falcon squad playing at home with the chance to clinch their second consecutive Commander-in-Chief Trophy with a victory.

Opening point spread: Air Force by 15

The pick: Air Force 34-13

TWO MORE YOU SHOULDN’T IGNORE

Louisville at No. 24 West VirginiaSat., Nov. 5 — Noon ET

The Mountaineers and Cardinals have played the same teams — Syracuse and Rutgers — in their last two games.

West Virginia (6-2, 2-1 in big East) got stunned by the Orange, 49-23, and then struggled mightily against Rutgers before pulling out a 41-31 victory (much to P101’s chagrin).

Louisville (4-4, 2-1), on the other hand, turned around what was a 2-4 season with back-to-back wins over Rutgers (16-14) and Syracuse (27-10).

That doesn’t necessarily mean that we’re riding with the Cardinals here, especially in Morgantown, but we like what their freshman quarterback Teddy Bridgewater has cooking and the defense has a strong backbone.

Opening point spread: West Virginia by 12 1/2

The pick: West Virginia 24-20

Purdue at No. 19 WisconsinSat., Nov. 5 — 3:30 p.m. ET

Who would have thought two weeks ago — or ever — that the Badgers and Boilermakers would be tied in the standings of the Leaders Division at this point in the season.

There are now two things that we know about Wisconsin (6-2, 2-2 in big Ten). First of all, if a game comes down to defending against a desperation pass, the Badgers are in deep trouble. Secondly, they are not the same team away from Madison.

That’s not good news for Purdue (4-4, 2-2), which is fresh off a sound 36-14 whipping at the hands of Michigan in Ann Arbor and has lost its last 13 road games against ranked opponents.

Opening point spread: Wisconsin by 26 1/2

The pick: Wisconsin 42-10

Week 9 record: 7-5Total: 80-28

It’s hard to believe it’s nearly the holiday season, but it will be here before you know it. Sony Computer Entertainment America has announced the holiday line up for video games for the PlayStation move controllers. There are six new titles coming for the holiday season and several of them are PS3 exclusives. the games will start hitting the market next month.

The exclusive PS3 titles include Everybody Dance, Carnival Island, EyePet & Friends, and Medieval Moves: Deadmund’s Quest. these games will hit stores on October 18 for the Everybody Dance title and November 15 for the other titles. the coolest of those games seems to be the Medieval Moves one that lets the player sword fight and more.

The other move titles include LittleBigPlanet 2 move Pack: Rise of the Cakeling, inFAMOUS 2, and inFAMOUS: Festival of Blood. the games will land with move support on September 13 for the LittleBigPlanet 2 game and inFAMOUS: Festival of Blood on October 25. these games should prove to be very popular for the holiday season.

(I got no replies in Video & Online Games…)

I've read and seen some reviews, however, I'm still not sure what I should do. I've heard there are not much difference from last year, however, I'm playing from 06 so that's SIX years of changes, plus one generation change from the PS2 to the PS3.

i dunno but i like the question
i have madden 07 for the xbox
now that i have an x360 i was considering the same thing

It all depends on you. My son buys a new one every year.

I have no interest in sports games like that.

I made a map that i really like. How can i make it so others can play it to? Like on match making? cause when playing matchmaking, i see when voting some of the maps are player made. How can i get my map like that?

Thank you!
Love,
-Kait

Ps, sorry, im new to making maps on Halo Reach-and anyother Halo game.

First I suggest you name and describe the map appropriately with proper spelling & punctuation with an accurate desription of style of play and minimum/maximum recommended players.

Then upload the map into your Halo: Reach Fileshare by selecting it from your local files in the custom game's map menu by selecting "File Options"

After that, try playing it with some friends of yours and others asking for constructive criticism while also asking for help, testing, and advice from sites such as;

Forgehub.com

Xforgery.com

Haloreachers.com

Forgineers.com

AND LAST BUT NOT LEAST! : D
Bungie.net (while on Bungie.net you can use their search bar to find forums and groups to help with your forging such as "United We Forge" bungie.net/Fanclub/unitedwefo…

I'm not 100% sure but my guess is that you simply upload it to your file share and if Bungie think it's good enough then you'll see it on matchmaking. You could try 'recommending' the map (option on your fileshare) to Bungie's fileshare or anyone who works for them. Sorry I couldn't be much more help but good luck with the map!

Duncan

Today, Rockstar games announced another piece of DLC releasing for Read Dead Redemption.

The Myths & Mavericks pack features new fan-favorite multiplayer characters from the single-player story, as well as new multiplayer locations including Cochinay, Nekoti Rock and Beecher’s Hope, plus new Stronghold games in Armadillo, Tumbleweed, and Chuparosa.

Here’s the official list of Multiplayer Maps & Modes, new additions are bolded.

Cochinay – Gold Rush, Shootout, Gang Shootout, Stronghold

Nekoti Rock – Gold Rush, Shootout, Gang Shootout

El Presidio – Gold Rush, Shootout, Gang Shootout

Plainview – Gold Rush, Shootout, Gang Shootout

Gaptooth Mine – Shootout, Gang Shootout

Pike’s Basin – Shootout, Gang Shootout

Rio Bravo – Shootout, Gang Shootout

Perdido – Hold Your Own, Grab the Bag

Benedict Point – Hold Your Own, Grab the Bag

Beecher’s Hope – Stronghold

Torquemada – Stronghold

Armadillo – Stronghold

Chuparosa – Stronghold

Tumbleweed – Stronghold

New Multiplayer Characters

You can look for the Myths & Mavericks pack on Xbox Live starting September 14th.

scrawlfx.com/2010/03/gran-turismo…
I know its not all new footage, but seeing the familiar gauges & switches just made me drool. and I wonder if this means Texas Motor Speedway will be in the game?

hope so. i also hope that they put all current drivers

That's cool. I'm PS3-less and my son has XBOX-360 of which I've invested billions for him.(only the best and highest speed live) But Gran Turismo was always my favorite so where there's a will there's a way.

Overall: During the week of 8/22/11, ABC claimed 6 of the Top 20 broadcast shows among Adults 18-49: Wipeout-TUES – #9, Bachelor Pad and Modern Family tied at #11, while Take the Money & Run, Wipeout-THURS and Sunday 20/20: The Sixth Sense tied at No. 16.  ABC’s Sunday 20/20: The Sixth Sense registered as the #1 newsmagazine for the 2nd week in a row for with key Adults (AD25-54/AD18-49). Building over the same week last year (w/o 8/23/10) in Total Viewers (+16%) and Adults 18-49 (+8%), ABC qualified as the only major net to post year-over-year gains on either measure.  In addition, ABC jumped 17% week to week in Adults 18-49, equaling an 11-week high in the key young adult sales demo – since w/o 6/6/11.

Summer 2011:  with just one week remaining in the summertime frame (13 of 14 weeks), ABC ranks #1 for Summer 2011 among Adults 18-49.  The Net also holds the #1 position for the summer with AD25-54, W18-49 and M18-49.

Monday: with the Bachelor Pad and a repeat airing of Castle, ABC topped both CBS and NBC in both Total Viewers and Adults 18-49.  ABC grew its overall Monday audience year to year for the 3rd straight week, building 6% over the same night last year with an all-original schedule (8/23/10).  for the 3rd week in a row, Bachelor Pad rose over the same night last year with Total Viewers (+5%).  In the 10pm hour, ABC’s Castle attracted its 2nd biggest audience this summer.  In addition, for the 2nd week in a row, the repeat ABC drama grew its hour year to year among Total Viewers (+8%), outperforming original programming on the year-ago evening (Dating in the Dark).

Tuesday: Gaining 15% week to week, ABC ranked #2 on Tuesday among Adults 18-49 to NBC with its 2-hour live semi-final round of America’s Got Talent.  from 8-9pm, ABC’s repeat Wipeout ran a strong #1 among Adults 18-49, beating runner-up CBS’ encore NCIS by 25% and pacing 82% ahead of NBC’s original unscripted series It’s Worth What? in the hour. In addition, the wide-appealing Wipeout made ABC the highest-rated broadcaster in the time slot with Teens 12-17 and Kids 2-11 for the 4th week running.

The replay Wipeout equaled summer highs for ABC in the hour among Adults 18-49 and Adults 18-34. Against the opening hour of NBC’s America’s Got Talent from 9-10pm, ABC’s Take the Money & Run took second against its network rivals in Adults 18-49. Take the Money & Run surged by double-digit percentages week to week in viewers (+14%) and young adults (+14%). Take the Money & Run grew its hour year to year by 8% in Total Viewers over the year-ago night with original unscripted programming (Shaq Vs. on 8/24/10).  at 10 o’clock against the second hour of NBC’s America’s Got Talent, ABC’s Combat Hospital built its Adult 18-49 audience by 11% from the prior week to match an 8-week high – since 6/28/11.

Wednesday: Growing 8% week to week in Adults 18-49, ABC matched its 2nd-best numbers on Wednesday this summer to hit a 12-week high – since 6/1/11. In addition, the Net grew its overall Wednesday audience over the same night last year (8/25/10) for the 4th straight week in Total Viewers (+13%) and 5th consecutive week in young adults (+27%).

In the 8pm half-hour, ABC’s encore The Middle topped Fox’s debut of Buried Treasure by 20% in Total Viewers and by 20% in Adults 18-49. The Middle grew over its year-ago rebroadcast by 9% in young adults. at 8:30pm, ABC’s replay Modern Family led the second half-hour Fox’s Buried Treasure debut by 15% in Total Viewers and by 36% in Adults 18-49. Gaining 7% over its week-ago repeat in Adults 18-49, Modern Family scored its best repeat number in the half-hour this summer and delivered the time period’s strongest young adult performance since early June – since 6/1/11. at 9 o’clock, ABC’s repeat Modern Family stood as Wednesday’s #1 scripted program on in Adults 18-49. The ABC sitcom finished second in the half-hour in young adults, behind only NBC’s original America’s Got Talent, dominating its encore competition on CBS by 58% (Criminal Minds) and on Fox by 138% (House). Growing over the prior week by 12% in Adults 18-49 to hit its best young adult number in the half-hour in 12 weeks (since 6/1/11), Modern Family turned in its 2nd-best performance in the time-slot this summer.

Further, the ABC sitcom drew ABC’s largest overall audience in the 9pm half-hour since early June – since 6/1/11. Modern Family was up over its year-ago rebroadcast by 17% in Total Viewers and by 36% in young adults. at 10 o’clock, ABC’s Primetime Nightline: my (Extra) Ordinary Family improved on the previous week’s performance in the hour (Primetime Nightline: beyond Belief) by 8% in Adults 18-49, marking the strongest number for any Primetime Nightline telecast in the slot this summer.

Friday: up against CBS’ preseason NFL coverage (Green Bay at Indianapolis), ABC’s Friday line-up was up week to week by 11% in Total Viewers and by 10% in Adults 18-49, generating its biggest audience on the night in 5 weeks – since 7/22/11.

Opposite the first hour of CBS’ pre-season Packers-Colts NFL game from 8-9pm, ABC’s repeat Shark Tank delivered its largest audience since mid-July (since 7/15/11) and qualified as the 2nd-most-watched program in the hour, behind only CBS’ NFL pre-season game. In addition, the repeat ABC series dominated original episodes of NBC’s Friends with Benefits in the time slot by 1.7 million Total Viewers and by 83% in Adults 18-49. despite airing against the final hour of the NFL pre-season game at 10 o’clock, ABC’s 20/20 grew week to week by 12% in Total Viewers, by 14% in Adults 25-54 and by 18% in Adults 18-49, matching the newsmag’s 2nd-highest-rated telecast this summer in the key Adult 18-49 demo.

Saturday: Featuring coverage of NASCAR Series at Bristol, ABC surged week to week by 2.9 million Total Viewers and by 180% in Adults 18-49, turning in its strongest Saturday night this summer.

Sunday: Featuring repeats of AFV and Home Edition leading into Sunday 20/20: The Sixth Sense, ABC earned second place against its network rivals on Sunday among Adults 18-49 to NBC with its preseason NFL coverage (New Orleans-Oakland), leading CBS by 7% and Fox by 36%.  In Total Viewers and Adults 18-49, ABC generated its strongest Sunday night this summer with regular programming. 

In addition, the Net was up over the year-ago Sunday for the 3rd straight week in viewers and for the 2nd time in 3 weeks in young adults. During the 7 o’clock hour among Adults 18-49, ABC’s encore America’s Funniest Home Videos beat out NBC’s NFL sports special (Madden NFL 12 Pigskin Pro-Am) by 75%, CBS’ 60 Minutes by 40% and Fox’s animated comedy encores (American Dad/Bob’s Burgers) by 75%.  The veteran ABC video clip show hit summer highs in both Total Viewers and Adults 18-49. 

Surging week to week by 1.0 million viewers and by 18% in Adults 18-49 during the 8pm hour, ABC’s replay Extreme Makeover: Home Edition turned in its 2nd-strongest results of the summer.  opposite stiff competition from NBC’s special preseason Saints-Raiders NFL game and MTV’s 2011 Video Music Awards from 9-11pm, the second week of ABC’s Sunday 20/20: The Sixth Sense once again built on its lead-in to qualify as the most-watched regular program in its 2-hour time period. 

The ABC newsmagazine features stories of extraordinary instinct that uncovers the truth.  Growing from its week-ago premiere in Total Viewers (+2%), Adults 25-54 (+11%) and Adults 18-49 (+23%), Sunday 20/20: The Sixth Sense achieved summer highs for ABC in the time period with regular programming.  In fact, the new show continued to produce ABC’s largest summertime audience in the time slot with a series in 5 years, and in more than 3 years in Adults 18-49 and Adults 25-54 – since 8/20/06 and 7/6/08, respectively.

Have an opinion on this article? Post your comment below.

• (Photo: Uucp/Wikimedia Commons via The Christian Post)ATLAH World Missionary Church in Harlem displayed a different sign in February 2010 also critical of President Barack Obama.

Related

Pastor James David Manning, head of the ATLAH World Missionary Church in Harlem, posted a message on the sign outside of his church reading “Obama is evil,” and it has some in the area shaking their heads.

The sign, running in four lines, reads:

“JESUS IS TRUE: OBAMA IS EVIL … HE USED BLACK VOTE TO … UNCLE TOM FOR WALL ST … I SPEAK LOVE & TRUTH”

“I was shocked when I saw that. I couldn’t believe it. It’s very disrespectful,” Mary Hidalgo told the New York Daily News. Hidalgo lives near the church, located on 123rd Street.

Another resident told the New York City paper that ATLAH’s sign does not speak for all of Harlem.

Leaders at another place of worship next door to Manning’s ATLAH ministry apparently agree, and posted their own sign.

“This church is not affiliated with the church on the corner. We Support President Barack Obama,” the sign outside Greater Bethel a.M.E. Church reads.

Manning, who also believes Obama is a Muslim and not a Christian, said he sees nothing wrong with criticizing the president.

“I thought that it would be appropriate…to let Harlem know that it’s all right to vent against Obama,” Manning told The Christian Post (CP) Friday.

He added, “Black people look at black politicians and feel that they can do no wrong.”

Manning claimed that Obama has done little to help the black community. He cited Cornell West, Tavis Smiley, and other prominent voices in the African-American community who have made the same claims against Obama.

“Since Obama is alleged to be black…a number of black people had extremely high hopes for a number of things that would materialize with his presidency,” the Harlem pastor said.

When asked whom he would be supporting this campaign season, Manning immediately shared his preference for Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.) and Herman Cain.

Calling the duo a “dream team of dream teams,” Manning described Bachmann as a “bonafide Christian who sticks by her guns and her beliefs.” He noted that Cain “sticks to his guns, too, for the most part, except for that bit about Islam.”

Manning, ordained as a Baptist, has served as a minister for more than 30 years and has baptized over 1,000 people during his time at ATLAH.

“In over 30 years we’ve had over 4,000 members,” Manning told CP.

The pastor admitted that his anti-Obama stance has contributed to the church “dwindling down to a scant 100 members.”

“But we’re still vital,” Manning added.

Flickr user San Diego Shooter

Nidhi SubbaramanFast Company

Leave it to a psychologist at the University of Essex to discover that the secret sauce in irresistible video games is the characters’ personalities — especially those that leave just enough creative space for players to pour themselves into.

“Games offer a window. They offer you that window to be your ideal self,” Andrew Przybylski, a Halo and Angry Birds player himself, says. Previously, Przybylski has shown that players prefer challenges in games to violence. His new study in the journal Psychological Science, explains that the further away a person’s real life is from the “ideal” character they play in a game–the better fit they can find in the hero’s skin–the more enjoyable they find a game. It’s the role-playing of Dungeons & Dragons multiplied by the power of powerful processors and pixels.

The explosive popularity of games such as “Halo”and “World of Warcraft,” where gamers get a chance to play characters in alternate gaming worlds and interact with other gamer characters, has a lot to do with the characters the game offers.

Games let gamers live out their ideals in different ways. on the one hand, Przybylski says, games such as Electronic Arts’s “The Sims” offer up their characters as blank slates, and give gamers a chance to handcraft an ideal virtual life. And at the other end of the spectrum, games like “Halo Reach” have characters with detailed life histories and personality traits.

“That’s where game makers succeed at offering those custom experiences that are in line with (gamers’) ideals,” says Przybylski. You may not need to feel like an assassin, but you could want to feel more powerful. or, you can feel like a more decisive person when you play “Tetris,” Przybylski says.

“The characters that pack the most punch, at least a broad base of players are going to identify with,” says Christopher Ferguson, an associate professor at Texas A&M International University. “We’re all kind of raised on these fairy tales, boys saving the world from doom. Games that give players the ability to stand out, at least in their own minds, are likely to be the most successful.”

That’s a trend game developers are already tapping into. “We have a generation that wants to be ‘that person,’” says Cliff Bleszinski, design director at Epic Games, the creators of the “Gears ofWar” series, and games these days excel at letting gamers inhabit another persona. “If they fire up a multiplayer of the game, they can find a skin that they can slip into.”

Frank O’Connor, franchise development director at 343 Industries, who’s nurtured the characters in the “Halo” franchise into shape, says, “There’s a real difference between watching “Indiana Jones” and being Indiana Jones,” says O’Connor. And he should know. Master Chief, the masked star of the “Halo” series, is a smash hit, and one of the most popular characters in gaming history. why? Because he comes with shades of anonymity, allowing gamers to own the Chief’s character, and personalize their experience of the game.

And “Halo” seems to fill the “ideal” of different kinds of gamers in different ways, O’Connor says. one “Halo” player he knows of is a young paraplegic boy with hearing issues, and the “Halo” world lets him live out of his physical constraints in this virtual environment. Military men are also part of the franchise’s massive following. O’Connor knows of a gamer in Afghanistan, who comes back home to play “Halo” with his buddies after a day of real combat in the field. “There was no risk in the game, and he could enjoy it with his friends and he found it decompressing,” O’Connor says.

Then there’s the social aspect of it all, which reaches beyond just the character, to the company you have in the game. That’s another part of Przybylski’s study. “With “(Halo) Reach,” if they want to be more extroverted than they want to be in their day-to-day lives, they can choose the option to play with players that are more chatty.”

O’Connor says that’s part of why people keep coming back to the game, too. People enjoy playing with friends, and like connecting with strangers. A Steelers fan may meet another Steelers fan, for example, and feel a connection to cherish even though the game is inherently competitive.

Bleszinski, of “Gears of War,” was recently at Comic con, and for the umpteenth time was surprised by the level of effort and detail that went into costumes at the entertainment and gaming conference. “That’s the ultimate example of people slipping into the real world in their virtual skins,” he said.

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