CTF_Turbine
Posted by Beaverbeliever in Gaming, Team Fortress 2 on July 2nd, 2009
One of my favorite eGO servers is ctf_turbine. For those of you that don’t know, Turbine is a capture-the-flag map on my favorite game, Team Fortress 2. It is a “mirrored map” which means it is the same on both sides, just flipped over.
ctf_turbine
In ctf_turbine, the point of the game is to run across to the other side and grab the intelligence briefcase and run it back to your intelligence to capture it for a point. After 3 points (on default) have been captured, your team wins. However, you must also defend your intelligence from being captured. A nice thing about this map is an engineer can setup a sentry at just about any position on this map, and still get a lot of kills.
The main (area as seen in the picture on the left), is the middle ground for most of the fighting. You will see many Snipers up on the ledges (a.k.a. battlements), and spies and pyro’s with an occasional medic down on the floor.
Vents on ctf_turbine
Another popular spot on Turbine is the ventilation system (seen at right). These vents can get you around the map without being out in the open. The only downside to this mode of transportation is that they are also used by the other team, and they are small. There is usually a lot of deaths that take place in the vents because stronger classes like heavy and soldier travel through them, hoping to achieve a quick kill on a weaker class like scout or spy.
At the end of the vents, there is a drop down into the intelligence room. However, if there is a sentry up, most likely you will die before you hit the ground coming out of the vent. Just another way the Engineer can make many surprise kills on this map.
ctf_turbine Intelligence Room
Seen on the left, this is the Intelligence room on Turbine. It has 3 entrances. 1 coming from the teams spawn, 1 coming from the crooked hallway leading to the main area, and 1 coming out of the vent system. You will see a lot of sentries setup here, and it can be generally hard to take them out depending on the placement. Also above the intel area, there is a skylight with ledges. You will also see an occasional camping demoman up there to try taking out anybody who grabs the intel. They also like the spot because they can be hard to see, and it is easy for them to plant sticky bombs.
Be sure before you go into the intelligence to pick it up, you have plenty of health and supplies to get back to your intel. If you are not fit, don’t pick it up. Instead, let someone else pick it up, if someone else is there. Also be sure to forfeit the intel to someone like a scout or pyro who is faster than all the other classes. If your a heavy or soldier, don’t be the one arguing with a scout to let them run the intel. If you picked it up by accident, press your L key to drop it (unless you changed it to something else). Remember that you are part of a team, and don’t insist on being the best guy on the team.
If there is anything else important to know about Turbine, feel free to comment. More map reviews and strategy guides are on the way for all the popular maps on TF2.
iPod Touch with Wordpress
Posted by Beaverbeliever in Technology on July 1st, 2009
I can now post on my blog using my iPod touch 2g! This will be nice when I am on the go!
Thanks for whoever made this app! 
McDonalds 911 Emergency
Posted by Beaverbeliever in Miscellaneous on June 27th, 2009
In Clackamas County, Oregon Friday morning, a man was arrested for excessive use of 911 while dining at a McDonalds restaurant. 3 younger men tied up emergency lines for 20 minutes while complaining about their burgers (come on, it’s McDonalds!).
Here is a transcript of the call (from KGW):
Caller: “I was at a McDonalds and I paid $10 and these guys gave me one burger and fries — that’s it, man,”
911: “Sir, this is not a 9-1-1 emergency; 9-1-1 is only for life and death situations.”
Caller: “You are telling me I can’t get a cop right here at 82nd and Sunnyside road? I will sue your [expletive] office right now,”
911: “You are going to sue our office because you’re calling 9-1-1 and they didn’t give you the correct food?”
Caller: “You [expletive] send an officer right here right now because I got [expletive] cheated!”
Caller: “Oh my God, the lady at McDonalds has a gun pointed at my head. Send a cop right now.”
911: “Does she have a gun pointed at your head?”
Caller: “Yup. You’re going to send me a cop,”
911: “Yes, I’m going to send you a cop. What’s your name?”
Caller: “My name is Jeremy Martin. Send me a cop right now!”
There was no gun at the scene, but Jeremy Martin was the caller, and was placed under arrest by Police.
The New Microsoft Bing
Posted by Beaverbeliever in Technology on June 27th, 2009
I was told about the brand new search engine out replacing Live search called Bing. Bing is the next new thing on the web by Microsoft, and already has been a hit so far. But How great is it really?
I personally think that Microsoft thinks by making something new every few years to replace what they had, it will raise heads and get people to notice Microsoft products more. This can be seen in their Office Suite which is released every 2-5 years. I have seen it go from the traditional MSN Search, to Live, then to Bing. To be honest, Bing looks very similar and has all the same functionality of Live, but by changing the name, it would bring up attention. (Sounds familiar with the Windows Mojave experiment 
)
On DiscoveringBing.com, Microsoft quotes:
A new breed of search engine has arrived, a search engine that does more than point you to a set of links. We’ve built a “decision engine” and it’s called Bing.
That sounds a lot like Google over 10 years ago! Going from a simple keyword search and crawler to a very dynamic search design based on Geographical location and your past searches.
When it comes to search engines, I choose Google. Google wins every time when it comes to number of results, accuracy, and completeness. Google has built themselves from the beginning, and all other search engines use it as a model for their own. But to be fair and equal, people should use what they are familiar with and what they like to use.
Firefox vs. Chrome
Posted by Beaverbeliever in Technology on June 25th, 2009
I have been debating lately which I like more. Mozilla Firefox, or Google Chrome. So i decided to do a little review on each.
Firefox is a great browser for anyone who wants something better than Internet explorer, and wants all the features that you can imagine. With the complete addons and themes system, it takes seconds to get anything working how you want it on your browser. I love Adblock to block all website ads, and it works great!
Google Chrome is a great step up from Internet Explorer and comes form a great company! Just the fact that its Google means so much in the quality of the software. It is very easy to use, and ready right out of the box! It is extremely light weight, and gets the job done well.
Now personally after 2 weeks of testing on both, I have to say that I prefer Firefox better. On many of the sites I normally visit, I was not used to seeing the ads that I do with Google Chrome. Chrome lacks the enormous feature of being able to get any theme and plugin to the browser with a simple click and restart.
No hard feelings Chrome, I see many strides being taken to make you stronger, and it is very possible for Chrome to pass Firefox in every aspect. But for now, I’ll stick with Firefox. The number 1 choice of every web designer and coder out there
Camping, But still In touch
Posted by Beaverbeliever in Miscellaneous on June 25th, 2009
I am camping this week at Detroit Lake, about an hour east of my hometown of Salem. It is a big lake, probably one of the biggest in Oregon.
There is great camping here very near the water, and easily accessible for our boat.
I brought my laptop and a Verizon Internet Card, and am getting pretty good service, so I can still check email and blog.
I will be home Friday, so if I don’t get back to you, I hopefully with then 
Beaverbeliever.net is back!
Posted by Beaverbeliever in Miscellaneous on June 25th, 2009
Well it’s been almost a year, and I almost forgot I even own this domain, but Beaverbeliever.net is back for awhile!
I want to become more active in posting, and I hope I get a few people who check this periodically to keep it up, but I really like the idea of a personal notebook online!
So just wanted to keep this post short, just to replace what WP throws in