Hijinks Inc.

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  • Gamer Guilt: A WoW Player’s Guide to Gaming

    Next to my computer desk sits a pile of games and gaming systems. A veritable cornucopia of electronic entertainment. Of the two dozen or so games in the pile, I’ve played five or six at the most. Pile of shame indeed. Nestled in a database on a server farm somewhere near Irvine, California sits the reason these games and consoles lay neglected on my floor. A level 80 Blood Elf Paladin, a 80 Orc Warlock, and a laundry list of other characters. For those of you not MMO inclined, I’m talking about Blizzard’s 11.4 million strong cash machine: World of Warcraft.

    My situation isn’t unique. World of Warcraft’s domination of the gaming space has been the object of countless articles from many writers better qualified then I. What caught my interest is exactly why I choose to play WoW when I have so many great games just waiting to be enjoyed. What magical power does this game possess that continues to interest me after almost five years of playing it? And maybe even more importantly, how can the video game industry reach out to gamers like me and motivate me to buy their products? (more…)

  • This Week In Sports Tomfoolery: Let’s T.W.I.S.T. Again (July 27-July 3)

    If you’ve read my terrible joke of a headline and still chose to glance over the article, I’d like to take a moment to thank you. With the World Cup wrapping up and the football season still about 2 months away, this is the painfully slow portion of the year for sports fans, I feel your pain. Here’s your quick hits from the world of sports:

    NBA

    There’s some talk that the 3 big free agents in this years class (Chris Bosh, Dwayne Wade, and some dude named Lebron), the ones half the teams in the NBA have been preparing to get for the last 2-3 seasons, may all end up in Miami. This free agent class is perhaps one of the best of all time, and if Miami can indeed fit those 3 under their salary cap, they’ve locked up title contention for the foreseeable future. As much as I’d like to see this, I think there’s a better chance Bosh and LeBron end up in Chicago with someone like Carlos Boozer ending up in Miami with Wade. I’m still holding out hope though that at least LeBron and Wade end up together somewhere. And the latest rumor has Wade interested in Chicago!

    NFL

    Brett Favre has been throwing to the local high school receivers again since late May (which is becoming a yearly tradition in this ‘will he or won’t he?’ saga), and he went and had the surgery he’d need if he wanted to continue playing… let’s face it people, the man is coming back. He might be the first NFL player ever to die of old age on the football field. (more…)

  • The MMA Minute – UFC 116 Aftermath

    The greatest heavyweight fighter of all time fell last week to a triangle armbar submission. This week the two best heavyweights the UFC has to offer went toe to toe and one of them was bound to be knocked out. So of course that’s not how it turned out!

    Quick Recaps

    Win or lose Lesnar was going to walk away from tonights fight with 10 times more money than Carwin. Carwin owned the first round, taking the fight to Lesnar in a big way, but he completely punched himself out and Lesnar managed to survive into the 2nd round. Lesnar easily took Carwin down early in the 2nd and was able to keep the fight there for the rest of the round until he submitted him to hang on the the belt. Lesnar probably gets Cain Velasquez next in a title fight. (more…)

  • An Open Letter to the World

    Postage Stamp... Wait, people still mail letters?Dear World,

    We here at Hijinks Incorporated are a needy bunch, desperate for your approval and adoration.

    So please consider helping us with our self image problem by doing the following:

    We thank you. Our mothers thank you. Our therapists curse you.

  • Cool Auto Tech: Power Commander Quick Shifter

    Hey everyone!  I’m Jared Burham, and I’m back writing for Hijinks again.  Aaron graciously asked me back to contribute, so I’ll be sharing articles on Saturdays, hopefully on a regular basis.  I’ll be all over the map with tech-related content, but a lot of it will include how technology is shaping automotive engineering, and how it’s a very integral part of the cars we drive and the motorcycles we ride everyday.

    I want to start off with a segment I’ll have every once in a while called ‘Cool Auto Tech’, in which I’ll share with you some technology that’s used in the automotive world that’s just plain awesome! Today, we have the Power Commander Dynojet Quick Shifter.  As for a little background, a Power Commander computer module is an aftermarket piggy-back engine control system that is used on modern sport bikes to tune how the engine performs.  In short, when installed, the computer takes readings from multiple sensors and adjusts mainly the ignition timing (when the spark fires the cylinders), and the mixture of fuel and air that enters the engine.  These parameters, when tuned correctly, can greatly increase the amount of power an engine will produce.  There are several accessories that the makers of the Power Commander offer to modify how the rider controls the bike, and one of them is the Dynojet Quick Shifter sensor.  Please read on:

    (more…)