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BIGKAHUNA
WIRE
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Updated: 12/3 9:35 am EST |
| LATEST
BUILDS |
Windows
32bit Family
Windows XP - 5.1.2600
Windows XP SP1a - v1106
Windows XP SP2 - v2180
Windows XP SP3 - RC2 v3311
Windows Server 2003 - 5.2.3790
Windows Server 2003 SP1 - 1421
Windows Server 2003 SP2 - 3959
Windows Vista - 6.0.6000.16386
Windows Vista SP1 - 6001.18000
Win Server 2008 - 6001.18000 |
Windows 64bit Family
Windows XP - 1433
Windows XP SP2 - 3959
Win Server 2003 - 5.2.3790.1830
Win Server 2003 SP2 - 3959
Windows Vista - 6.0.6000.16386
Windows Vista SP1 - 6001.18000
Win Server 2008 - 6001.18000 |
Microsoft Office Family
Office 2003 SP2 - 11.0.7969.0
Office 2007 - 12.0.4518.1014 |
Misc
DirectX 9.0c - 4.09.0000.0904
Directx 10 - 10.0
Exchange Server 2003 - 6.5.7226
Exchnge Srvr 2007 - 8.0.50727.42
Visual Studio 2005 - 8.0.50272.42
SQL Server 2005 SP2 - 9.00.3042
IE 7.0 - 7.0.5730.11
IE 6.0 SP2 - 6.0.2900.2180
MSN Explorer - 9.00.0013.2101
WMP 10.0 - 10.00.00.4036
WMP 11.0 - 11.00.5721.5145 |
Instant
Messaging
Windows Messenger 5.1.0556
MSN Messenger 6.2 - 6.2.0137
Windows Live Messnger - 8.0.0365
Windows L/M beta - 8.5.1235.0517 |
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HOT
NEWS
PICKS
Wednesday
11:05
AM EST |
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.12/3
- |
Kahuna notes:
We got 34° right now and
we're supposed to get more snow later. It could get sloppy. Hey
#12 Michigan State (4-1) host #1 North Carolina tonight at
9:15pm on ESPN. Hopefully those guys with good hands and shots
will show up. We'll see. Go State! ... Now I'm heading out to
meet Kahunette for lunch ;) |
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Gaming Scene News:. |
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Fallout 3 review
- 9.2/10 Oooh ! |
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Company of Heroes: Tales of Valor preview. |
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Q&A - City of Heroes. |
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Lawsuits against EA DRM in Spore moving forward.
Responding
to accusations these suits are frivolous, one of the attorneys
said, "...just because you buy a game doesn't mean that a
company can do whatever it wants to your computer. I find it
somewhat ironic that game companies or any company would seek to
protect its own intellectual property rights by infringing on
the intellectual property rights of the computer owner." Amen! |
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Dynasty Warriors 6 review
- 5/8 Hmmm... |
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Hardware Scene News:. |
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Dell Studio XPS Intel Core i7 System review
- 86% Oooh ! |
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Dell snags Microsoft as data center customer.
Dell is
one of the companies that helps power MS's server farms,
including the ones that power Microsoft's operating system in
the cloud, Windows Azure. |
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Netbooks dominate Cyber Monday on Amazon.
The
mini-laptops, with 7-inch to 10-inch screens, are popular
because they're about half the size of a normal laptop and much
lighter, usually less than 1.5 kilograms (3.3 lbs). They also
cost less, but allow people to surf the Internet wirelessly and
work on full, if downsized, keyboards. |
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Asus: $200 netbooks next year.
Asus
plans to take on the $199 OLPC XO laptop with a $200 small,
cheap computer for the developing world. The company is keeping
mum about the details of the machine, saying only that it'll
debut in Q1 2009 for $200. |
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ZPower bets on silver-zinc batteries for laptops.
ZPower says
silver-zinc batteries are more powerful than lithium-ion, safer,
and potentially more earth-friendly as well. |
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Patriot 128GB Warp SSD review
- 9.15/10 Oooh ! |
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Tech Scene
&
Miscellaneous News:. |
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Vista Service Pack 2 beta 2 out Thursday.
Nothing
special to look forward to -
SP2 includes all of the updates
that have been delivered since the release of SP1, and
incorporates some improvements discovered through automated
feedback. This time around, the
public is apparently invited to download SP2. |
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White House rejects cell-tower backup power plan.
The
White House has rejected a plan by the FCC to require eight
hours of backup power on every cell-phone tower in the country.
Damn, seemed like a reasonable idea to me since just about
everyone out there is now using cell phones to communicate. |
 |
Massive new botnet building on Windows hole.
The
worm exploiting a critical Windows bug that Microsoft
patched with an emergency fix in late October is now
being used to build a fast-growing botnet. The worm is known as
'Downad.a' by Trend, 'Conficker.a' by MS and 'Downadup' by
Symantec. |
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Study confirms mobile phones distract drivers.
A study
published in the Journal of Experimental Psychology: Applied,
confirms that Mobile phone calls distract drivers far more than
even the chattiest passenger, causing drivers to follow too
closely and miss exits. However,
California's ban on using a handheld cell phone while
driving isn't working. Using a hands-free device does not make
things better and the researchers believe they know why -
passengers act as a second set of eyes, shutting up or sometimes
even helping when they see the driver needs to make a maneuver.
Interesting study. |
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.Tuesday
1:50 PM EST - |
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.12/2
- |
Kahuna notes:
Old Man Winter is kicking
our asses with a vengeance. As of noon, it's 25° with the wind
chill at 13°. Brrr... It finally stopped snowing this morning -
we've got about 4 inches on the ground. Tomorrow the forecast is
calling for a slight warm-up into the 30s with a snow/rain mix.
Brutal. The rest of the week is supposed to be in the 20s. So
much for global warming. ... I talked with ChiefKahuna. He had a
restful night and is really enjoying being back home. So it
looks like his recovery is finally on track. Hallelujah! |
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.Monday
4:15 PM EST - |
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.12/1
- |
Kahuna notes:
Hey, the #12 MSU
basketballers (4-1) salvaged their weekend tourney with a win
against Wichita State (3-3) 65-57. Next up, MSU hosts #1 North
Carolina Wednesday at 9:15pm on ESPN. Da Bears (6-6) lost to
Minnesota (7-5) 34-14, giving up control of the NFC North to the
Vikings. Damn. ... Man, we got our asses buried with
snow today. Kahunette had a 2 hour delay. I talked with WindyC
today. We discussed our now out of date rigs and what to do
about it. I'm still thinking of waiting until Windows 7 comes
out. ChiefKahuna got out of the hospital today. He's home
resting comfortably. Finally. He's glad to be home. I busted out
the holiday decorations for the Surf Shop. Season's Greetings!
;) |
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.Saturday
9:40 AM EST - |
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.11/29
- |
Kahuna notes:
The MSU Spartan Football
team (#19 BCS; #22 AP; 9-3) await their bowl assignment. Looks
like they'll probably be playing in January. Meanwhile, the
hapless Michigan Wolverines (3-9) will be sitting out this bowl
season with the worst finish in the team's 129-year history.
Ouch! It's the first time Michigan has missed a bowl game in 34
years. Double ouch!! The pitiful LieDowns (0-12) got stuffed on
Turkey Day by Tennessee (11-1) 47-10. It's beginning to look
like the LieDowns may not win a game this season. Why, oh why
did Matt Millen and the rest of those assholes fire Steve
(15-28) Mariucci after less than two years, only to keep the
atrocious Rod Marinelli (10-34) for three of the worst seasons
in Detroit football history? Brutal. Da Bears (6-5) travel to
Minnesota (6-5) for a Sunday game at 8:15pm on NBC. This is a
showdown between the leaders of the NFC North and a crucial game
for the Bears to keep their playoff chances in good shape.
Thursday, in the Old Spice Classic tournament, the #6 MSU
Spartan Basketball team (2-1) lost to unranked Maryland (4-0)
80-62 on an absolutely horrible performance. Then Friday, #6 MSU
(3-1) beat Oklahoma State (4-2) 94-79. Here we go. Same schizoid
MO as last year - never knowing which team is going to show up:
the brick a minute turnover kings, or the well coached accurate
winners. I hope Izzo can get this shit straightened out. Sunday,
#6 MSU (3-1) plays Wichita State (3-2) at 12:30pm on ESPNU. The
Pistons (10-5) took out Milwaukee (7-11) 107-97, despite the
practice ethics of that idiot Iverson. Currently Detroit (10-5)
is 2½ games behind Cleveland (13-3) in the EC Central. Next up,
the Pistons (10-5) host Portland (11-6) on Sunday at 3:00pm (no
TV scheduled). ... Me and the Kahunette chilled
yesterday. No fighting the shopping crowds. Very relaxing. I
talked with ChiefKahuna and Bones. CK's water retention is in
check and he's feeling even better, and is now demanding to be
let out. Looks like the hospital might cave today and let him go
home. I'd like to see him spend one more day being monitored in
the hospital, but CK says he's going stir crazy and wants out
now. Me and the Kahunette are going to take a road trip to visit
him. We'll keep it brief as I'm sure the transport home is going
to wear him out. A sunny day is on the docket with temps near
40°. Enjoy the weekend ;) |
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.Friday
11:00 AM EST - |
|
.11/28
- |
Kahuna notes:
MarkyMark visited
ChiefKahuna yesterday morning and thankfully, his water
retention problem was relieved with the diuretic treatment and
he was feeling much better. Now, hopefully, his recovery can
proceed on a more normal path. ... MarkyMark and his crew were
at the BeachShack yesterday for Thanksgiving dinner. BigBear,
BlueEyes and Herbal all made it too. We had a great time. Hey,
it's Black Friday. If you're going out to do battle on the
shopping front, good luck ;) |
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.Thursday
8:15 AM EST - |
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.11/27
- |
Kahuna notes:
Ahhh... Turkey Day. Chow
time. Feasting. Oh yeah. Here's a couple of fun tidbits from
good ol' Wiki: The earliest attested Thanksgiving celebration
was on September 8, 1565 in what is now Saint Augustine,
Florida, but the traditional "first Thanksgiving" is venerated
as having occurred at the site of Plymouth Plantation, in 1621.
... MarkyMark and his crew are gonna visit ChiefKahuna and
then drive down for a big ass turkey dinner. We're lookin'
forward to a nice visit. If you're travelin' for the holiday, be
safe. Happy Thanksgiving! |
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RECENT
BIGKAHUNA
MOVIE
REVIEWS
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A word about the ratings -
Since being a movie critic is not my occupation, as a rule, I
generally avoid bad movies. That's why you won't see very many
bad ratings here. Occasionally I go to a movie and find out the
hard way it's a clunker. The other thing is, I hate critics who
knock 2 or 3 points off of a rating because the movie is a
seasonal comedy. My ratings are given based on other movies in
the genre. Therefore, you'll see some of the seasonal fluff
getting high ratings compared to dramatic, action and straight
comedy movies. If you care to check the
Box Office Rankings, you'll see those numbers will
support most of my ratings, even though my ratings are based
purely on my experience at the theatre and, as I've said,
compared to other movies in the genre. |
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September -
Tropic Thunder:7/10. |
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August -
The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor:7/10. |
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July -
The Dark Knight:10/10. |
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June -
The Incredible Hulk:7/10,
The Love Guru:6/10,
You Don't Mess With the Zohan:6.5/10. |
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BIGKAHUNA
GRADES
EXPLAINED |
We post the grades given by the
reviewing website and then add a comment to give BigKahuna's take. Our grades have a little bit of overlap which gives us some
flexibility in grading. Here's the key:
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Primo !
- - BigKahuna's comment for receiving a perfect score.
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Wow !
- - - Top notch; scores from about 92% - 99%.
.
Oooh !
- - - Great; scores from about 83% - 93%.
.
Hmmm... - - -
Good; scores from about 70% - 85%.
.
No Comment - Average quality, about 40% -
70%
.
Ouch !
- - -
Dubious quality, less than 40%. |
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(Keep the Jump Page at
Concentric.net
bookmarked, it will direct you to the current address and mirror of
BigKahuna's)
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BigKahuna's Webpage v7.0 ©
1995 - 2008 All rights reserved.
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This page last modified: 12-03-2008
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information found here or found on the links followed from this page. Of
course I'll take credit for the good stuff.
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