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BIGKAHUNA
WIRE
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Updated: 11/20 10:15
am EST |
| LATEST
BUILDS |
Windows
32bit Family
Windows XP - 5.1.2600
Windows XP SP1a - v1106
Windows XP SP2 - v2180
Windows XP SP3 - v5512
Windows Server 2003 - 5.2.3790
Windows Server 2003 SP1 - 1830
Windows Server 2003 SP2 - 3959
Windows Vista - 6.0.6000.16386
Windows Vista SP1 - 6001.18000
Win Server 2008 - 6001.18000
Windows 7 - 6.1.7600.16385 |
Windows 64bit Family
Windows XP - 5.2.3790.1830
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
Windows 7 - 6.1.7600.16385 |
Microsoft Office Family
Office 2003 SP2 - 11.0.7969.0
Office 2007 - 12.0.4518.1014
Office 2007 SP1 - 6213.1000
Office 2007 SP2 - 6425.1000 |
Misc
DirectX 9.0c - 4.09.0000.0904
DirectX 10 - 6.00.6000.16386
DirectX 10.1 - 6001.18000
DirectX 11 - 6.01.7100.0000
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 6.0 SP2 - 6.0.2900.2180
IE 6.0 SP1 - 6.0.2900.5512
IE 7.0 (XP) - 7.0.5730.1100
IE 7.0 (Vista) - 7.00.6000.16386
IE 7.0 SP1 (Vista) - 6001.1800
IE 8.0 - 8.00.6001.18702
MSN Explorer - 9.60.0053.2200
WMP 10.0 - 10.00.00.4036
WMP 11.0 (XP) - 11.0.5721.5230
WMP 11.0 (V) - 11.0.6000.6344 |
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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THE
WEEKEND
POST
Saturday 7:35
AM EST |
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.11/21
- |
Kahuna notes:
The MSU football team (6-5)
finishes their regular season schedule today, hosting #14 Penn
State (9-2) at 3:30pm on ABC. I'm hoping the Spartans can stay
in the game, but they'll need to play mistake free. UofM (5-6)
hosts #10 Ohio State (9-2) at noon on ABC. Michigan fans are
pissed and want a win. Coach
Rich Rodriguez's job may be on the line as fans and
boosters call for the boot. Brutal. MSU's #2 ranked basketball
team (3-0) hosted Toledo (0-3) last night and snagged an easy
home win 75-62. Next up is another home game on Sunday against
Valparaiso (1-2) at noon on BTN. The #16 ranked UofM basketball
team (2-0) hosted Houston Baptist (0-4) last night walk, winning
77-55. Next up for Michigan is Creighton University (1-1) on
Thursday at noon on ESPN2. Sunday, in the pros, da Bears (4-5)
host the Eagles (5-4) at 8:20pm on NBC. Da Bears' QB, Jay
Cutler, needs to turn in a good performance after last week's 6
INT debacle in SanFrancisco. Hey, the LieDowns (1-8) have a
chance to win one, hosting the Browns (1-8) at 1:00pm on CBS.
... After raining off and on all day, the evening end up
cold and damp - in the mid 40s. So, hoping to another bout of
sickness, we skipped the
Silver Bells in the City event last night. Welp, word
is spreading far and wide about Kahunette's wedding ring
upgrade. Somehow Chickie found out and Kahunette exchanged email
with her yesterday. BTW, Chickie is starting physical therapy
for her feet - I mentioned earlier in the month she had foot
surgery. Good luck with the PT Chickie - just about my least
favorite thing to do. The forecast is calling for decent weather
this weekend - mostly sunny with temps in the mid 50s. So, enjoy
the weekend !
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WinInfo
Short Takes: Week of November 23. |
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Weekly Virus Report...
Threat Center,
Virus
News,
Reports
&
Alerts. |
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HOT
NEWS
PICKS
Friday 11:55
PM EST
. |
.11/20
-
................. |
Kahuna notes:
Kahunette went into work
this morning on a teacher work day, and the principle gave
everyone the afternoon off, so she's back home already. There's
nothin' like starting the weekend early. She had her 'girl
friends' breakfast this morning and got to show off her new
wedding ring yet again. Man, she's milkin' that thing ;)
and having fun doing it. We've got some rain here today. If it
clears up, we'll go to the
Silver Bells in the City festivities tonight - which
includes a parade, and the lighting of Michigan’s official
Christmas tree, along with a firework show (weather permitting)
over the State Capitol. Onward . . . |
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Gaming Scene News:. |
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Left 4 Dead 2 review
- 9/10 Oooh ! |
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Borderlands: The Zombie Island Of Doctor Ned preview. |
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Q&A -
Rage. |
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StarCraft II pics. |
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Tropico 3 review
- 8/10 Hmmm... |
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The Sims 3: World Adventures v2.2.8 patch.
(18mb) |
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Hardware Scene News:. |
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Cooler Master Sniper Black Case review
- 10/10 Primo ! |
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California Energy Commission rule to impact HDTV industry.
In a unanimous vote, the CEC just introduced the nation's first
state-mandated regulations for energy efficiency. The
regulations will apply to televisions up to 58 inches in screen
size, and will go into effect on January 1, 2011. Actually, by
the time the first wave of CEC regulations enter into effect in
2011, Energy Star 4.0 will be in place which is base on more or
less the same guidelines as the CEC rule. Still, many are
concerned the CEC rules will negatively impact large screen HDTV
sales, as well as being the
death knell for plasma TVs. |
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Hynix announces 2Gb DDR3 DRAM chips.
Hynix has managed to get validation from Intel for its 2Gb DDR3
DRAM that uses 40nm process technology. The outfit said it has
begun mass production and expects the validation of RDIMMs to
also be completed before year's end. Sweet. |
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Intel: Brain implants could control computers by 2020.
Holy Frankenstein Batman!?!?!! Scientists at Intel are working
on developing sensors that would be implanted in a person's head
in order to harness brain waves that could then be used to
control computers, televisions, cell phones and other electronic
equipment. "Eventually people may be willing to be more
committed ... to brain implants. Imagine being able to surf the
Web with the power of your thoughts." said Intel research
scientist Dean Pomerleau. Ummm... A great technology for the
disabled, but would you want some cutting into your head if you
were healthy? NO. |
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Laser weapon shoots down airplanes in test.
Last May, Boeing demonstrated the ability of mobile laser
weapon systems to perform a unique mission: track and destroy
small unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). Boeing leads the way in
developing laser weapon systems for a variety of U.S. Air Force,
Army and Navy applications. These systems include the Airborne
Laser, Advanced Tactical Laser, Free Electron Laser, High Energy
Laser Technology Demonstrator and Tactical Relay Mirror System.
May the Force be with you. |
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ATi Radeon HD 5970 Graphics Card review
- Tops Wow ! |
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Tech Scene
&
Miscellaneous News:. |
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Ballmer admits Apple is gaining market share.
MS chief Steve Ballmer today warned at a yearly shareholders'
meeting that the company needed to improve the standing of
Windows in the future. The executive acknowledged that Apple had
cut into MS's share in the past year. He downplayed the amount,
labeling it a "a couple of tenths of a percent" but added that
even the claimed amount was significant and worth fighting for.
I smell fear. |
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Google shows off Chrome OS.
Google's Chrome OS was shown for the first time Thursday, where
the company gave a brief demo of the operating system.
PCWorld
has
a slideshow posted for the curious. |
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Microsoft steals another technology.
The patent frenzy at MS has lead to yet another sticky
situation. MS recently snagged patent
20090282325, which MS employees claimed they invented
for displaying data in Exel. However, the patent describes
something called "Sparkline" which is a type of information
graphic usually associated with stock market reports, and which
everyone in the industry knows was invented by Edward Tufte. MS
definitely knew this -
check out this MSDN blog about "Sparkline". Needless
to say,
Tufte goes off on his blog. As we've said many times:
Microsoft = scumbags. |
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A 'backdoor' in Windows 7.
Here we go. The backdoor questions and concerns surfaced
yesterday after a senior National Security Agency (NSA) official
testified before Congress that
the NSA worked on the Win7. Concerns have climbed so
hight that MS has issued a statement: "'Microsoft has not and
will not put 'backdoors' into Windows." With MS's penchant for
lying and the NSA's pechant for snooping, you gotta be concerned
about a backdoor. |
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Internet Explorer 9 preview.
Microsoft fan-boy Paul Thurrott takes a look at a very early
version of IE 9, with an eye on performance, standards
compliance, and hardware acceleration. |
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.Thursday
2:10 PM EST - |
.11/19
-
................. |
Kahuna notes:
Kahunette has conferences
this week and yesterday she was out at school all day, finally
getting home about 8:15pm. Herbal stopped by to eat dinner with
me. We cooked up some beef tenderloin steaks. Yeah baby! Today
Kahunette is coming home for dinner, but has to return to school
for a couple more evening conferences. The weather is gloomy
with temps in the 40s and rain falling every now and then.
Onward . . . |
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.Wednesday
1:25 PM EST - |
.11/18
-
................. |
Kahuna notes:
Yep, I skipped the news post
yesterday. Huntster stopped by around 10:30 to check out my
Jackson PC-1 - he heard about the sustainer and just
had to check it out as there are none in stock around here.
BobbyD called while we were rippin' away, he was in town for a
visit and wanted to meet for lunch. So out we went. We blew the
afternoon chatting and goofing around. Kahunette's been having
fun showing her new ring (I mentioned in Saturday's blog) to
friends at work. ... Last night the #2 MSU
basketball team (2-0) hosted Gonzaga (1-1). Gonzaga always gives
MSU a good game and last night was no exception. At one point in
the first half, Gonzaga and a 13 point lead, but State battled
back and won the game 75-71. Next up, MSU (2-0) hosts Toledo
(0-1) Friday at 6:30pm. ... I talked to ChiefKahuna
today. After his latest hospital stay, a new test finally
revealed his problem - the right side of his diaphragm is
paralyzed, making his breathing more difficult than it should
be. He's basically functioning with one lung. Poor guy. The
doctors are hoping some specialized physically therapy with
bring back some function to the paralyzed portion of his
diaphragm and make it easier for him to breath. I hope so.
Onward . . . |
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.Monday
3:10 PM EST - |
.11/16
-
................. |
Kahuna notes:
Hey, MSU (6-5) had their
hands full, as I predicted, on the road with Purdue (4-7), but
pulled out a season saving victory 40-37 in a thrilling game.
MSU (6-5) is now bowl eligible, and has a tough game left with #
18 Penn State (9-2). UofM (5-6), unfortunately, got their guts
stomped out by #20 Wisconsin (8-2) 45-24. It's hard to believe
the fanatical Michigan fans haven't called for the head of coach
Rich Rodriguez after going a pitiful 3-9 last year and now
sitting at a mediocre 5-6. In the pros, the LieDowns (1-8) did
it again, they laid down for the Vikings (8-1) in yet another
27-10 loss. ... Welp, we had a gorgeous Indian
Summer that ran for a whole week, right through Sunday.
Saturday, I took Kahunette over to Hawk Island Lake for a walk.
Man, it had be over a month since we had been over there. It was
a beautiful fall day. We took another walk on Sunday. Then we
got some bad news from Florida - ChiefKahuna is in the hospital
with severe wheezing and breathing problems. He was admitted
Saturday. I talked to him again this morning and he was feeling
much better. He was busy trying to work a deal to get sprung
out. Now, I just got off the phone with CK - he's home and
happy. Thanks goodness. Onward . . . |
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.Saturday
9:15 AM EST - |
|
.11/14
- |
Kahuna notes:
Today MSU (5-5) travels to
Purdue (4-6) for a game at noon on ESPN. After starting the
season 1-5, losing 4 of those games by less than a touchdown,
Purdue has now won 3 of their last 4 games, including defeating
Michigan (5-5) 38-36 at The Big House. State will have their
hands full in West Lafayette. A win will probably get MSU into a
second tier bowl game. UofM (5-5) travels to #20 Wisconsin (7-2)
for a game at noon on BTN. Wisconsin is, of course favored, and,
short of a miracle, I don't see Michigan pull this one out. In
the pros, this past Thursday night, da Bears (4-5) traveled to
the 49ers (4-5). It was a low scoring game and Cutler threw 5
INTs. The last one coming with just seconds left at the end of
the game: Da Bears were 2nd and 10 on the 49ers 12, and Cutler
threw one over the middle that got intercepted, ending the game
in a Bears loss, 10-6. Damn. The LieDowns (1-7), on their way to
yet another dismal season, travel to the Vikings (7-1) for this
week's ass kicking at 1:00pm on FOX. Oh... MSU's #2 ranked
basketball team (1-0) opened their season last night at home
against Florida Gulf Coast (0-1) winning easily 97-58. MSU's
next game is on the 17th, at home against Gonzaga, who opens
their season tonight. ... Welp, Kahunette had her
appointment with the jeweler yesterday. You guessed it - buy
time. She talked with her favorite jewelers this past summer and
setup an appointment for a special one day event scheduled for
yesterday. A New York designer was in with his settings,
diamonds/gems and jewelry technician. Kahunette discussed making
changes to her original setting, but what she wanted required a
whole new base (ring). Yep. The modification idea was out the
window. So what's a poor girl to do? In Kahunette's case,
she picked out a new ring with a splash of diamonds on each side
and a new pear shaped center diamond. The jeweler built it right
there and it was done in a hour. Kahunette was so excited, she
called BlueEyes to come and take a look. Welp, looks like I'll
be eating crackers and soup for the next few months ;)
Enjoy the weekend! |
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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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July
-
The Hangover:9/10,
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince:8/10. |
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June -
Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen:8/10,
The Proposal:7.5/10,
The Taking of Pelham 123:8/10. |
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May
-
Star Trek:9/10,
X-Men Origins: Wolverine:8/10. |
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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.
.
Wow !
- - - Top notch; scores from about 92% - 99%.
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Oooh !
- - - Great; scores from about 83% - 93%.
.
Hmmm... - - -
Good; scores from about 70% - 85%.
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No Comment - Average quality, about 40% -
70%
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Ouch !
- - -
Dubious quality, less than 40%. |
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