http://www.techsupportforum.com/blogs/ Tech Support Forum is a free computer support center for everyone. From Microsoft to Linux we support it all. en Wed, 25 Nov 2009 03:14:15 GMT vBulletin 60 http://www.techsupportforum.com/cwd/images/misc/rss.jpg http://www.techsupportforum.com/blogs/ http://www.techsupportforum.com/blogs/174256-beefers1/164-gta-iv-map-overhyped.html Fri, 24 Jul 2009 07:31:19 GMT I've seen a lot of posts on the Internet saying that LC in GTA IV is almost an exact replica of New York (at least Manhattan). While the general locations of famous landmarks were surprisingly well created, Liberty City is still way too small to pass as an NYC re-creation. The most basic test is to take a taxi from the southern end to the northern end, having it drive legally. I'm not sure how long it would take in Manhattan (probably around an hour, considering the traffic), but it took less than 10 minutes in GTA. Counting the number of blocks, too, and we get an Algonquin that is maybe one sixth the size of the real Manhattan. Nice try, Rockstar. At least True Crime did something right in this respect. ]]> beefers1 http://www.techsupportforum.com/blogs/174256-beefers1/164-gta-iv-map-overhyped.html http://www.techsupportforum.com/blogs/174256-beefers1/163-gta-iv-multiplayer.html Fri, 24 Jul 2009 01:06:11 GMT Well, 7 months after buying GTA IV, I finally took it out of the closet and installed it. First thing I did, after the hour and a half it took to setup, update, and tweak graphics (to the very lowest level, of course, except traffic density, which I kept at 100 since I love driving through traffic... Well, 7 months after buying GTA IV, I finally took it out of the closet and installed it. First thing I did, after the hour and a half it took to setup, update, and tweak graphics (to the very lowest level, of course, except traffic density, which I kept at 100 since I love driving through traffic in games), and finish the first mission so I can save, I went online for some multiplayer.

Wow, what an amazing experience! Besides the lack of lag, deathmatch gameplay was just plain fun. Way better than a typical FPS. Surprisingly, I won my very first deathmatch round (granted, there were only around 5 people), but I must've went through a sophmore slump as I finished dead last in a second round with only 1 kill.

Anyway, if anyone wants to play a round or two with me, my Windows Live username is derekli04. ]]> beefers1 http://www.techsupportforum.com/blogs/174256-beefers1/163-gta-iv-multiplayer.html http://www.techsupportforum.com/blogs/174256-beefers1/119-free-shipping-within-continental-u-s.html Tue, 16 Dec 2008 06:37:32 GMT Argh! I can understand that American companies will only ship free within their own country, but I hate how's there's no big online retailer in Canada. Especially when I'm looking to buy some bowling balls and they only offer free shipping to the United States. I wouldn't mind paying shipping, it's just that carrying 35lbs of stuff across an international border costs a hell of a lot of money (sometimes over $100!). If they had a warehouse in Canada I would have to pay a lot less, even though the item may be a bit more expensive. And the local proshop is out of the question as it's the only one within a 10-mile radius and so the prices are quite insane. Damn, living in Canada has so many disadvantages.... ]]> beefers1 http://www.techsupportforum.com/blogs/174256-beefers1/119-free-shipping-within-continental-u-s.html http://www.techsupportforum.com/blogs/174256-beefers1/118-kingpin.html Thu, 04 Dec 2008 04:25:34 GMT I was surprised that this film, despite its profanities and explicit nature, portrays bowling fairly accurately. The pinfall doesn't look staged as in some TV shows and movies. They depict hook, which most shows don't. Even the 7-10 split was converted somewhat realistically. And at the final tournament Munson even gets to face off against real-life greats like Pedersen and Bohn III.



lol, 1000-1 odds. Note the real bowling stars on that chart. ]]> beefers1 http://www.techsupportforum.com/blogs/174256-beefers1/118-kingpin.html http://www.techsupportforum.com/blogs/174256-beefers1/116-fsx.html Fri, 14 Nov 2008 09:30:08 GMT I've decided to take some time off my around-the-world-flight. I thought it would be exciting to see the sights of the world, but it's actually so boring! Nothing but miles and miles of open water or fields or rivers. Anyway, I managed to make a landing inside the Louvre Museum's courtyard in Paris, France. I've made a video to go along with it. Here it is: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P2IE5kODUPE
Enjoy! ]]> beefers1 http://www.techsupportforum.com/blogs/174256-beefers1/116-fsx.html http://www.techsupportforum.com/blogs/174256-beefers1/112-round-world-flight.html Thu, 06 Nov 2008 06:59:40 GMT Well, first of all, I went for a Beechcraft instead of the Mooney I had earlier decided on. I made it to Toronto from New York without a hitch. Unless you count the fact that I didn't read the weather forecasts and therefore didn't file an IFR plan for the storm brewing in Toronto. Fortunately, the storm let up enough to allow me to land under VFR, after only 20 minutes of flying in circles. Unfortunately the airport was IFR again soon after so I had to advance time until the bad weather let up. I then flew to Chicago, but didn't land as I thought that I had enough fuel to make it to Winnipeg. I was wrong, and so had to divert to Minneapolis/St. Paul to take on fuel. I decided then to forego Winnipeg and go directly to Calgary. Again, bad weather delayed my landing but this time I was also very low on fuel and was lucky to get VFR clearance with only a few gallons remaining. After the fog cleared, I took off and flew for fun around Calgary, going over the Calgary Tower and the Saddledome. Well, to bed now. School tomorrow, with a presentation on history. I'll keep you posted on updates. ]]> beefers1 http://www.techsupportforum.com/blogs/174256-beefers1/112-round-world-flight.html http://www.techsupportforum.com/blogs/174256-beefers1/110-fsx-around-world-flight-plan.html Mon, 03 Nov 2008 18:51:56 GMT So, I've decided to fly around the world. I plan to use a Mooney M20, as it's the one I'm most familiar with and I'm very comfortable with flying it. Here's how I plan to do it (an east-west route)

New York-Toronto
Toronto-Chicago
Chicago-Winnipeg
Winnipeg-Calgary
Calgary-Edmonton
Edmonton-Whitehorse, with stopovers as necessary at various small airports around area
Whitehorse-Fairbanks
Then to various locations in Alaska, and across the Bering Strait into Russia
Then island-hopping to Japan
Sapporo-Nagasaki
Nagasaki-Shanghai
Shanghai-Taipei
Taipei-Hong Kong
Hong Kong-Hanoi
Hanoi-somewhere in Burma
Then to Calcutta
Calcutta-Varanasi
Varanasi-Bombay
Bombay-Karachi
Karachi-Dubai
Dubai-Baghdad
Baghdad-Istanbul
Istanbul-Rome
Rome-Paris
Paris-Dublin
Dublin-Reykjavik
Reykjavik to somewhere in Greenland
Then to Iqaluit, then down Quebec to Montreal
Montreal-New York

I'll update it periodically as I complete portions. I'll upload some vids too to Youtube.

Wish me luck! ]]> beefers1 http://www.techsupportforum.com/blogs/174256-beefers1/110-fsx-around-world-flight-plan.html http://www.techsupportforum.com/blogs/174256-beefers1/109-fsx-update.html Mon, 03 Nov 2008 00:45:56 GMT OK, I find that I'm playing it more and more. I tried a helicopter today for the first time, but it didn't end up to well. What I did was fly a Mooney M20 Bravo from JFK airport into Manhattan, and made a bumpy landing on 5th Ave (yes, it's that detailed). I switched to a helicopter, intending to see the Empire State Building up close, but couldn't hold it steady and crashed in Central Park. I then went to Beijing and attempted to land inside the Forbidden City, but that didn't work either as somehow the plane won't lose speed even though I cut the engine completely and lowered the landing gear. Maybe it was just a glitch, I'll try again later. I also plan to try landing on the Golden Gate Bridge, under the Eiffel Tower, inside the Grand Canyon, and the Red Square or the Kremlin, and maybe even the Capitol or the White House. ]]> beefers1 http://www.techsupportforum.com/blogs/174256-beefers1/109-fsx-update.html http://www.techsupportforum.com/blogs/174256-beefers1/108-flight-simulator-x.html Sun, 02 Nov 2008 06:17:37 GMT I'm currently trying to fly to as many destinations around the world as I can. So far, I'm working on Europe. I started in Glasgow, and worked my way down to London, then Paris, then Amsterdam, then Berlin, Zurich, Venice, and Rome. Anyway, I plan to visit all the major cities of the world in one flight. I think I'll avoid places on small islands (the Caribbean, south Pacific, etc) as I'm afraid of getting lost, even with a GPS. I wonder if I'll ever be willing to go to a tiny 50sq mile island (Bikini Island, Easter Island, Nauru, etc) knowing that if a disaster suddenly strikes we'll all be stuck there. ]]> beefers1 http://www.techsupportforum.com/blogs/174256-beefers1/108-flight-simulator-x.html http://www.techsupportforum.com/blogs/174256-beefers1/104-just-learned-airbuses-have-stick-controllers.html Tue, 30 Sep 2008 02:42:42 GMT ...instead of yokes. Personally, I wouldn't be too comfortable flying such big aircraft with a little flimsy stick, and would feel much better with a conventional yoke as in most other airliners. ]]> beefers1 http://www.techsupportforum.com/blogs/174256-beefers1/104-just-learned-airbuses-have-stick-controllers.html http://www.techsupportforum.com/blogs/174256-beefers1/102-flight-simulator-x-first-impressions.html Sun, 28 Sep 2008 05:34:56 GMT I got flight simulator X today, and after waiting half an hour for the thing to install, I started it up. After turning up the realism to max and turning down the graphics, I skipped the lessons and just went for a free flight around New York, taking off from JFK in a Cessna 172. The takeoff was a... I got flight simulator X today, and after waiting half an hour for the thing to install, I started it up. After turning up the realism to max and turning down the graphics, I skipped the lessons and just went for a free flight around New York, taking off from JFK in a Cessna 172. The takeoff was a bit rough as I knew the controls for neither the flaps nor the rudder (the only controls I did use was the throttle, the stick/yoke, and the brake), and I didn't use the radio either to gain takeoff clearance. After flying to Manhattan navigating entirely by sight, I just flew at less than 50 feet over the East River and went under the Manhattan and Brooklyn Bridges, then flew around the Empire State Building and the Chrysler Building. After flying back to the airport, I simply went for a straight-in approach and landed without much problem (after attempting to land high-powered fighters with massive torque in Warbirds, this was easy), except for the fact that another plane was taking off at the same time (it lifted off just before we crashed) and that I didn't have either the landing lights on or the flaps down.

Overall, I think it's pretty good, with a difficulty and complexity level appropriate to what flying a real plane should be. Controls are a bit confusing, but greatly helped by clickable dials and switches in the virtual cockpit. ]]> beefers1 http://www.techsupportforum.com/blogs/174256-beefers1/102-flight-simulator-x-first-impressions.html http://www.techsupportforum.com/blogs/174256-beefers1/90-complaints-about-olympics.html Thu, 21 Aug 2008 06:19:15 GMT 1: Playing American music during American-dominated games. What happened to the international theme??

2: BMX DOES NOT BELONG IN THE OLYMPICS. It's an extreme sport. It belongs in the X-games, and that's it.

3: (North) Americans dissing badminton and table tennis (not referring to anyone specifically, it's just I've heard a lot of it personally). For those people, they really need to open up their eyes and look beyond their own country, and stop thinking that everything is centered around America. Just because Americans don't play it doesn't mean it doesn't deserve Olympic recognition. ]]> beefers1 http://www.techsupportforum.com/blogs/174256-beefers1/90-complaints-about-olympics.html http://www.techsupportforum.com/blogs/174256-beefers1/76-vista-dual-boot.html Sat, 17 May 2008 06:47:46 GMT this is my first ever blog, so bear with me. anyway, i've finally got the vista/xp dual-boot semi-working, but i've still got (A LOT) of stuff that needs to be worked out. i'll post on here if i need you guys's help. ]]> beefers1 http://www.techsupportforum.com/blogs/174256-beefers1/76-vista-dual-boot.html