Hijinks Inc.

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  • The MMA Minute – A Brief History of MMA, Part 1

    Typically the MMA Minute will focus on a weekend event, either in a preview or review capacity. However, this is one of the slowest months in MMA over the course of the last year or two, and we’ve already had the only notable event, UFC 116. So instead of our usual focus on a singular event, I decided to take a little turn and focus on the world of MMA, and break it down into small portions for anyone that might be interested in learning more about this increasingly popular sport.

    Now I’m not by any means some sort of MMA aficionado, but I’ve recently gone back to watch most of the UFC and Pride events (2 of the most notable organizations in the history of MMA), so I feel I am at least on stable ground to talk about the sport.

    To start off, MMA is short for Mixed Martial Arts. As usual, Wikipedia (which I used for most of this article, merging various articles and adding my two cents in between), does a great job of summing it up quickly and precisely:

    Mixed martial arts (MMA) is a full contact combat sport that allows a wide variety of fighting techniques and skills, from a mixture of martial arts traditions and non-traditions, to be used in competitions. The rules allow the use of both striking as well as grappling techniques, both while standing and on the ground. Such competitions allow martial artists of different backgrounds to compete.

    Many detractors will write MMA off as some adrenaline infused showcase of brutality, there really is alot of artistry and strategy behind all the mayhem. (more…)

  • Activating an iPad 3G Micro SIM without an iPad

    Activating an iPad 3G Micro SIM without an iPad

    So you’d like to turn that old iPhone into something a little more useful than an iPod touch, right? Well now you can, just order a replacement SIM from AT&T for $15 (which should come pre-scored so you can use it as a full size or micro SIM).

    You can order your “replacement” SIM here: http://www.wireless.att.com/cell-phone-service/accessory-details/?q_sku=sku4530230

    After you’ve installed your new SIM card in your iPhone, follow these steps. (more…)

  • Wonderful World of Windows 7: Pinning

    This is my first post for Hijinks Inc and I’m happy to be part of the team. My name is Angela and I’m a general technology and gadget lover that’s been working in computer system support and management for the past 10 years. I plan to cover a vast variety of tech related topics and provide helpful tips and tricks for Windows and OS X. I’m pretty agnostic when it comes to operating systems; I use both an iMac and a Windows 7 laptop as my main machines. I’ve also played around a little with Linux, mostly Ubuntu, but nothing on a serious use basis.

    Now with introductions over, let’s get on to today’s post:

    Wonderful World of Windows 7: Pinning

    Anyone that has used Apple’s OS X should recognize the system of pinning icons and this feature is now available in Windows 7. This replaces the old shortcut system from older versions of Windows and it is one that I use frequently both at home and at work.

    So what is pinning?
    Pinning allows you to place quick access to not only programs but also to files and folders. In order to pin something you simply need to right click on it and choose either “pin to start menu” or “pin to taskbar.”

    Pin to Taskbar Screenshot

    Once a program has been pinned you will discover additional features when it comes to accessing your files. For example, once you pin Word to your task bar, if you right click on the icon you will have access to recently opened documents as well as the ability to further pin documents for quick access. I find this really handy for documents that I use on a daily basis.

    Pinned Taskbar List Screenshot

    Pinning really works for me and my workflow plus it helps keep me from losing documents that I need to update frequently. This is one of my favorite features of Windows 7 and I hope you find this information useful.

  • Hijinks Movie Reviews: Invictus

    Whoa! What’s this? 2 movie reviews in 2 days? Sweet googly-moogly! That’s what you get when I am on a holiday weekend and have a bit more time on my hands to watch some extra movies. But enough intro mumbo-jumbo, let’s get into the review.

    Invictus first grabbed my attention because of Matt Damon and Morgan Freeman, 2 of my favorite actors. Then again, it’s easy to like guys who are great in everything they appear in. I honestly sat down to watch this flick based on that alone, I hardly knew anything about what the movie was actually about… other than the fact that Nelson Mandela and rugby were somewhere in the storyline. Obviously, what I ended up getting was so much more than that.

    Maybe I’m not cultured enough, but I didn’t know that Invictus is actually the name of a poem, the poem that helped Nelson Mandela through his time in prison, inspiring him to “stand when all he wanted to do was lie down”. The movie, however, is based on a book called Playing the Enemy: Nelson Mandela and the Game That Changed a Nation. Invictus was released in theaters December 11, 2009, and on Blu-ray and DVD May 18, 2010. I’m a Netflix guy though, so it was only available to me this last week. (more…)

  • Hijinks Movie Reviews: Toy Story 3

    I’d like to begin this review by saying I actually went to the 3D version of this movie. This was my first experience with the new digital 3D movies and I must say, I don’t see what the big deal was. Maybe this movie just didn’t take full advantage of the 3D (it seems everything is hyping the fact that they are in 3D these days, do we really need this many?), but if this is what a regular 3D experience is like in the theaters, it’s totally not worth the extra money. Yeah, the movie trailers at the beginning were really cool because it was this brand new experience and my eyeballs were all like, “Whoa! I can see things in a whole new way, this is fantastic!”, but as the movie went along it quickly started to look like the regular version. It was at this point that my eyes were like, “Alright, why did I pay the extra money for this? I can hardly remember this thing is in 3D in the first place until I pay attention to the added depth, but then I’m not paying attention to the actual movie anymore, just the novelty of the 3D.” Maybe I just missed it, maybe I’m not evolved enough to truly enjoy the 3D experience, but I digress.

    The movie itself was fantastic, but what I really walked away from the theater with was an appreciation for the short that Pixar included before the movie, as they do with all their flicks. This one was called Day & Night, here’s the official write up for it:

    “When Day, a sunny fellow, encounters Night, a stranger of distinctly darker moods, sparks fly! Day and Night are frightened and suspicious of each other at first, and quickly get off on the wrong foot. But as they discover each other’s unique qualities — and come to realize that each of them offers a different window onto the same world — the friendship helps both to gain a new perspective.”

    At this point, my eyes were still on their visual joyride and I was really digging the 3D experience. It was such a simple little film and I was busy laughing at how these two animated little guys were showing off and trying to one up each other, and next thing I knew I was being hit by this really touching, meaningful story about friendship and overcoming each other’s differences to grow as individuals and work together. It was pretty cool.

    But anyway, on to the actual review of Toy Story 3 after the jump. Possible spoilers included. (more…)