http://www.philly.com/philly/columnists/jeff_gelles RSS Feed for Inq Col Jeff Gelles en-us Fri, 17 Feb 2012 03:17:49 GMT http://www.philly.com/philly/columnists/jeff_gelles/20120216_Jeff_Gelles__Time_may_be_here_to_collect_sales_tax_on_Internet_shopping.html Is it time for Internet retailers - companies like Amazon, Overstock, and eBay - to finally abandon the idea that Web sales should take place free from the burden of collecting state sales taxes? http://www.philly.com/philly/columnists/jeff_gelles/20120209_Jeff_Gelles__ASK_THE_APP.html Siri and I have spent many weeks together. Yet the truth is, I hardly know her - or she, me. http://www.philly.com/philly/columnists/jeff_gelles/20120205_Jeff_Gelles__Big_finance_boosting_its_political_gifts.html As he touted his latest idea for home refinancing, aimed at helping up-to-date homeowners benefit from low interest rates even if the value of a home has fallen, President Obama showed off a simplified mortgage-disclosure form - one of the initial goals of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau he championed. http://www.philly.com/philly/columnists/jeff_gelles/20120202_Jeff_Gelles__Marrying__quot_search_quot__and__quot_social_networking_quot__to_enhance_commerce.html If you use familiar search tools such as Yelp or Angie's List to help choose, say, a great place for Sunday brunch or a trustworthy contractor, maybe you've wondered: Sure, lots of people recommend it, but how do I know I can trust them? http://www.philly.com/philly/columnists/jeff_gelles/20120129_Jeff_Gelles__At_your_service__Consumer_protection_bureau_hits_the_ground_running.html Here's a confession: Occasionally, I miss the Wild West days of consumer reporting, the ones before the new sheriff came to town. http://www.philly.com/philly/columnists/jeff_gelles/20120126_Jeff_Gelles__Obama_in_Arizona_to_applaud_Intel_as_a_tech_leader_in_American_manufacturing.html In technology, Intel is the ultimate inside player - so much so that it built an entire marketing campaign, "Intel Inside," around partnerships with companies that power their products with Intel microprocessors. http://www.philly.com/philly/columnists/jeff_gelles/20120122_Jeff_Gelles__Health-club_contracts_can_cause_aches_and_pains.html As any gym rat knows, January can be a crowded time as health clubs overflow with new year's resolve. But this January is especially tough on thousands of former Bally Total Fitness customers in Philadelphia and around the country, who are feeling a burn unlike the one they crave. http://www.philly.com/philly/columnists/jeff_gelles/20120119_Jeff_Gelles__Worries_about_online-piracy_bill_are_not_so_far-fetched.html It's known abroad as "the Great Firewall of China": a website blacklist that limits what Chinese Internet users can see as they surf the Web. http://www.philly.com/philly/columnists/jeff_gelles/20120112_Jeff_Gelles__Consumer_Electronics_group_s__Best_of_Innovations__award_focuses_on__viable_products_.html LAS VEGAS - Browse for consumer electronics on the Web or stroll through a large retailer like Best Buy or Microcenter, and you can see how tough it is to grab attention in today's crowded marketplace. http://www.philly.com/philly/columnists/jeff_gelles/20120108_Jeff_Gelles__Phone_outage_complicates_a_tragic_situation.html Viola Mason knew she faced a hard path over the holidays as her husband, Richard, lay dying from the end stage of a painful, inoperable cancer. She never imagined how much harder it would prove because of what usually might seem a small quirk of fate: a phone outage.