http://www.philly.com/philly/columnists/jeff_gelles RSS Feed for Inq Col Jeff Gelles en-us Sun, 27 May 2012 07:15:55 GMT 2012-05-27T07:15:55Z en-us http://www.philly.com/philly/columnists/jeff_gelles/20120527_Consumer_12_0__Facebook_rsquo_s_worth_is_known__in_more_than_just_cash.html What do Oc­cu­py Wall Street and Facebook’s high-pro­file stock splat have in com­mon? Both look a lot dif­fer­ent depending on where you sit — wheth­er, as the occupiers might put it, you’re in the 1 per­cent or the 99 per­cent.To the 1 percenters who bought in ear­ly and cashed out when Facebook shares went pub­lic at $38, all is good. They took a risk and made bazillions. To their less-hap­py breth­ren — such as the Wall Street in­vest­ment bankers who ap­par­ent­ly got greedy in pricing the stock, or the bro­ker­age executives dealing with investors burned when the NASDAQ went kablooie on opening day — this was a curve­ball when they expected an easy pitch to hit. Stuff happens; they’ll let the lawyers sort it out. To the 99 percenters, the stock splat was most­ly soap op­era, with one ex­cep­tion: Small "mom and pop" investors, usu­al­ly shut out of hot IPOs, were lured in un­usu­al numbers to Facebook’s offering. In­stead of the first-day "pop" in share prices that lucky 1 percenters can usu­al­ly count on, mom and pop got popped in the gut. It’s a shame that Mark Zuckerberg’s en­thu­si­asm for letting Facebook members into the game didn’t in­clude, say, a dis­count tick­et. Still, those are the risks of playing in the big leagues. Sun, 27 May 2012 07:15:55 GMT http://www.philly.com/philly/columnists/jeff_gelles/20120527_Consumer_12_0__Facebook_rsquo_s_worth_is_known__in_more_than_just_cash.html 2012-05-27T07:15:55Z http://www.philly.com/philly/columnists/jeff_gelles/20120524_Sorting_out_Facebook_s_disappointing_IPO.html Here's a status update on Facebook's vaunted initial public offering: not as hot as your brother-in-law might have told you. But it remains to be seen whether the Wall Street banks orchestrating the $16 billion stock sale did anything wrong, or whether last week's investors have only themselves to blame if they feel burned. Thu, 24 May 2012 18:37:23 GMT http://www.philly.com/philly/columnists/jeff_gelles/20120524_Sorting_out_Facebook_s_disappointing_IPO.html 2012-05-24T18:37:23Z http://www.philly.com/philly/columnists/jeff_gelles/20120520_Consumer_12_0__Friends_Life_Care__a_long-term_alternative.html No one knows what tomorrow holds. But if biology is destiny, or even a major piece of it, Michael and Linda Dzuba had good reason to ponder a long future as they neared their 60th birthdays. And perhaps reason to worry just a bit. Wed, 23 May 2012 11:10:29 GMT http://www.philly.com/philly/columnists/jeff_gelles/20120520_Consumer_12_0__Friends_Life_Care__a_long-term_alternative.html 2012-05-23T11:10:29Z http://www.philly.com/philly/columnists/jeff_gelles/20120510_Jeff_Gelles__Threats_to_a_competitive_Internet.html Verizon Wireless strikes a spectrum deal with Comcast. Comcast launches Streampix to compete with Netflix. Netflix complains that Comcast’s monthly data caps give Streampix an unfair advantage. Sony drops plans for a virtual cable-TV service, also blaming data caps. Verizon says DSL customers can’t save money by canceling phone service and relying on Internet calling. It’s hard to keep up with all the telecommunications headlines lately without getting a bit dizzy. But there’s a key thread connecting these recent stories that’s worth paying attention to. Thu, 10 May 2012 21:12:27 GMT http://www.philly.com/philly/columnists/jeff_gelles/20120510_Jeff_Gelles__Threats_to_a_competitive_Internet.html 2012-05-10T21:12:27Z http://www.philly.com/philly/columnists/jeff_gelles/20120405_Tech_Life__Connect_Philly_s_aim_is_to_do_just_that.html How hard is it to find a public-access computer in Philadelphia, or a place that offers free computer training, or WiFi access for the disabled? A lot easier than before, thanks to the launch of a new service, Connect Philly, that identifies more than 200 such sites throughout the city. Thu, 05 Apr 2012 16:56:40 GMT http://www.philly.com/philly/columnists/jeff_gelles/20120405_Tech_Life__Connect_Philly_s_aim_is_to_do_just_that.html 2012-04-05T16:56:40Z http://www.philly.com/philly/columnists/jeff_gelles/20120401_Consumer_12_0___In_defense_of_Obamacare.html I've never had much worry about access to affordable health care, thanks to steady work, good luck on the chronic-disease front, and my sterling ability to dodge dangerous drivers on the Schuylkill Expressway. But I've watched others suffer for a lack of it, and I worry about my daughters having to navigate an increasingly tough health-care market. So I was struck last week at the breathtaking lack of common sense among some of our nation's smartest people. Mon, 02 Apr 2012 20:32:00 GMT http://www.philly.com/philly/columnists/jeff_gelles/20120401_Consumer_12_0___In_defense_of_Obamacare.html 2012-04-02T20:32:00Z http://www.philly.com/philly/columnists/jeff_gelles/20120311_Jeff_Gelles__Has_speculation_fueled_the_rise_in_gas_prices_.html We're used to the occasional gap between what some politicians claim and - how to put this delicately? - the facts. But even with suitably low standards, there was something breathtaking - a gap the size of the Grand Canyon - in Newt Gingrich's comments last week on gasoline prices. Sun, 11 Mar 2012 09:19:22 GMT http://www.philly.com/philly/columnists/jeff_gelles/20120311_Jeff_Gelles__Has_speculation_fueled_the_rise_in_gas_prices_.html 2012-03-11T09:19:22Z http://www.philly.com/philly/columnists/jeff_gelles/20120308_Jeff_Gelles__With_the_new_iPad__Apple_sharpens_text_-_and_its_edge.html An Apple executive touts the new iPad as "this magical pane of glass that can become anything you want it to be." But for all the buzz about brilliant colors and blazingly fast 4G wireless speeds, here's what grabbed Tim Bajarin's attention when he finally got to handle the new iPad at its San Francisco unveiling Wednesday: its stunningly sharp text. Thu, 08 Mar 2012 17:02:00 GMT http://www.philly.com/philly/columnists/jeff_gelles/20120308_Jeff_Gelles__With_the_new_iPad__Apple_sharpens_text_-_and_its_edge.html 2012-03-08T17:02:00Z http://www.philly.com/philly/columnists/jeff_gelles/20120304_Jeff_Gelles__For_Apple__trouble_in_China.html Even if you love your iPhone, and are eagerly awaiting this week's expected announcement of the iPad 3, maybe you've also been noticing a stream of stories describing some discomfiting aspects of the empire that Steve Jobs built. Sun, 04 Mar 2012 13:44:17 GMT http://www.philly.com/philly/columnists/jeff_gelles/20120304_Jeff_Gelles__For_Apple__trouble_in_China.html 2012-03-04T13:44:17Z http://www.philly.com/philly/columnists/jeff_gelles/20120301_Jeff_Gelles__Comcast_and_other_providers_rush_to_impose_data_caps.html Netflix's video-streaming service may have lost access Wednesday to its collection of popular Starz movies, but it has been busy reinventing itself as an alternative source of TV shows - a slew of series reruns for now, though with original productions in its pipeline. Who knows? With high-quality shows, it could someday become an Internet version of HBO. Thu, 01 Mar 2012 21:08:00 GMT http://www.philly.com/philly/columnists/jeff_gelles/20120301_Jeff_Gelles__Comcast_and_other_providers_rush_to_impose_data_caps.html 2012-03-01T21:08:00Z