further to my original post on sp1 and the update post, here is the official word from the microsoft update team on it all.  A further complication appears to have arisen because those using Vista sp1 RC are receiving the update automatically as part of the beta which was apparently in the notes...

Responding to comments from yesterday and providing additional clarification. Windows update service schedule. Microsoft Update and ‘ Check for updates’ on the Office download tab page both use the same detection logic. This however is a PULL mechanisms where the client initiates the process by...

Today sp1 ships. hurray. It's not up there yet but should be later today.  Also the kb articles for each patch don't seem to be live at this moment but should also appear later on today.  Looking down the list of fixes, here are some that caught my eye (read the whitepaper for the full list...