PaulKatcher.com

In New York, Even the People You Watch People Watch

Shot downtown on Broadway.

Sometimes You Feel Like a Nut. Sometimes You Don't

A Mounds candy bar commercial breaks out in Central Park.

Why is Preferred Photo Still Indexed on Google Shopping?

I'm in the market for a 50mm f/1.4 lens for my Pentax K10D and, as I often do, I included a Google shopping search to my price-comparing routine.

The cheapest price, by about 12.5% ($25 on $200) is offered by Preferred Photo. Being the highly usable app that it is, Google links not only to customer reviews of the product, but of the vendor. And the overwhelmingly majority of people say that Preferred Photo is untrustworthy. Like not even close.

Here is where reviews of Preferred Photo start, at 10 reviews per page. They're all 1-star reviews (seems you can't give zero stars) out of five stars, until the 49th review on the fifth page. That relatively excellent review begins: "Would not recommend this seller to anyone." From there, it's another stream of 1-star reviews from disappointed and angered customers.

The reviews on Epinions and ResellerRatings mirror those same frustrations.

So why are these crooks still indexed on Google's shopping engine? How could Google not have a system that flags administrators when a merchant receives an avalanche of dissatisfied reviews, and how could it not have a policy to remove that merchant from its shopping index?

Google's products search cannot benefit at all from steering potential customers to shady businesses, and it surprises and disappoints me that it could happen today to an honest person.

Need More Space? This Should Do For $70 Million

I don't know how gazillionaires go about finding new residences, but it probably doesn't involve laptops at Starbucks, Craig's List and bullshit descriptions like "cozy," "needs TLC" and "a fixer-upper's dream" — you know, euphemisms for "shithole shoebox."

But NYC's most luxurious for-sale homes do indeed live online.

Take this five-bedroom penthouse triplex at the Pierre Hotel. Take it, that is, if you've got $70,000,000 laying around.

What a bargain, though. Assuming a 20% down payment and a $56 million, 30-year mortgage at a current rate of 6.12%, your monthly payment (including a $38,720 maintenance fee) would be only $378,800.85. Sounds steep till you compare it to NASA's 2009 budget of $17.9 billion (don't worry, all the problems on this planet are solved) or even or the $80 million the Yankees paid for Carl Pavano and Kei Igawa.

For the more budget conscious: Four-bedroom space at the legendary Dakota for $18.5 million.

Also see: Priciest NYC real estate available.

Ladies and Gentlemen, the Batshit Hogan Family

Where to begin with these loons?

• First, that's former steroid-aholic dad working suntan oil on his daughter's ass.

• Second, jailed son pleads with oil-boy dad to "work on that reality deal" so that it's all lined up for when he's released from the pen. (prison call transcript | Nancy Grace segment)

• Third, insane mother (in transcript above) claims that the mother of John Graziano, the passenger-turned-vegetable in Nick's speeding car, is "not suffering. I am! I have the loss."

Don't worry, lady, your poorly raised, punk son will be back in your family's undemanding embrace, hitting the reality TV airwaves upon release (ready, set, go!) and putting more lives at risk by tacking onto this illustrious driving record (before he's even 18!):

• Sept. 26, 2006 — ticketed for 115 mph in 70 mph zone
• Feb. 8, 2007 — ticketed for 57 mph in a 30 mph zone
• April 25, 2007 — ticketed for 106 mph in 70 mph zone
• Aug. 10, 2007 — ticketed for 82 mph in 45 mph construction zone
• Aug. 26, 2007 — crashes while racing on public stretch, causing injuries to former U.S. Marine Graziano that are expected to keep him in a nursing home for life

How I Hope Giambi's Walk-Off Homer Impacts the Yankees

Let's see 'em go from this:

To this: