you should have just copied the patch from your desktop to the laptop and all is solved. some of the patches are stored in the main WoW folder, while this one is in a patch folder in the WoW folder. after downloading to one computer you just need to transfer it to your others. Much quicker that way.
If the game is still in alpha, it's a year or more away from completion, not "several months". mmo's take a lot of development and testing. So there is still plenty of time to tweak the graphics
reading the title I felt sorry for the girl. But after reading the article, she deserved it and he got the shaft. She pulled out he lock and started breaking out all the windows in his car, he stopped it. She should have been charged with malicious destruction, instead she is the victim and he gets arrested.
