The McFly

This week, the script for Tarantino’s new movie was sent around Hollywood studios.  Internet movie guru Harry Knowles is not surprisingly gushing over it (“This will be the best movie that Quentin Tarantino has made yet.”)  What’s it about?

Basically - it’s a story about an all Jewish American unit sent behind the lines into Nazi Occupied France with the mission to kill as many Nazis and cause as much trouble as humanly possible… .

So basically, it’s QT’s first fantasy movie.  Coooool!

I Heart My iPhone

Reposted from tuaw.com (the unofficial apple weblog):

While most people are waiting in line for their soon-to-be new friend, pal and everyday communications device, the world’s top tech reviewers have already been playing with the long awaited device. Below is a summary of their findings along with links to their full reviews of the iPhone 3G.

Walt Mossberg (Wall Street Journal)

• Pros: Faster cell network data speeds, GPS
• Cons: Weaker battery life due to 3G/GPS
• Bottom Line: If you don’t already have an iPhone and can live with the weaker battery life, then you should go ahead and buy; otherwise wait out for the 2.0 firmware update (hmm… I think I’ve heard this advice somewhere else)
  

David Pogue (New York Times)

• Pros: You can talk and access 3G data network simultaneously, cheaper, improved audio quality
  
• Cons: 3G isn’t wide-spread, AT&T pricing,
  
• Bottom Line: “iPhone 3G is a nice upgrade,” 2.0 firmware update will make your original iPhone in most ways similar to the iPhone 3G
  

Edward Baig (USA Today)

• Pros: Faster data network, cheaper, GPS, Visual Voicemail
  
• Cons: Slow EDGE speeds when not in 3G area, no video, no memory expansion
  
• Bottom Line: “The Sequel, is worth the wait,” he also shows a side-by-side comparison between EDGE and 3G speeds
  

As an interesting note: David Pogue says that the iPhone’s GPS antenna is too small to provide you with turn-by-turn directions in Google Maps — this is something that Apple has failed to note until now.

The Queen of Harlem Real Estate

For two weeks this past November I served as a juror in a lawsuit between a real estate agent and her former broker/employer, Willie Kathryn Suggs, the so called “Queen of Harlem Real Estate.” The new issue of New York Magazine profiles Ms. Suggs, who is a central player in the debate over Harlem’s gentrification at the expense of its historical black roots. It’s an interesting article and Ms. Suggs is truly a fascinating personality. During the trial, I couldn’t help imagining what a dream role it would be for an actress to play her on stage or in a movie.

The article also touches upon the trial:

No one had much success pushing back against Suggs until 2000, when she accused a sales agent named Raquel Brown of stealing files from the office in the middle of the night. Young and ambitious in her own right, Brown had just handled a record-breaking $660,000 sale at 416 Convent Avenue. Shortly after, Suggs filed theft charges against Brown at the 30th Precinct, and later sued her. Brown countersued, denying any theft and accusing Suggs of “abuse of process,” or using the legal system for personal ends. The lawsuits wound through the courts for seven years. A judge determined in 2003 that there had been no theft of files—that Raquel Brown was just working from home like many sales agents do. The abuse-of-process case made it to trial last November. After a short deliberation, the jury ruled against Suggs, awarding Brown $2.6 million, one of the highest judgments ever in an abuse-of-process case in New York.

The judge later reduced the award, and the parties reached a settlement. Neither side will discuss the terms, but Brown says she feels vindicated; some close to her have suggested that Suggs ought to lose her real-estate license over the matter. “Will the public place its trust in a broker found guilty of abuse of process?” Brown asks. “How her story is going to end will be very interesting.”