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[Jayhawk]

Does anyone really use them Innertubes? Will it really catch on someday?

That seems to be the view of some members of the sharon sewer authority, according to a short story in the paper today. Rather than leap on a no-brainer plan that would let people pay sewer bills online they decided to "study" the matter -- prompted by the expertise of a board member who admits he doesn't even own a computer.

He doubted enough people would make it worth the 2 or 3 grand it would take to set it up, even though after that users would pay an extra 40-cent fee (still cheaper than a stamp) and the authority would save postage every month by giving those users an electronic bill. (They could recoup the startup cost through postage savings in just a couple months with enough usage).

Does anyone really pay bills online? Gee, only most customers of most other utilities, which is one of the reasons the USPS is hurting. And when they pay online, the money is in the hands of the company days sooner, without manual check handling.

Besides, having e-payments would give deadbeats yet another method that they can use not to pay their bill.

[lifefeedsonlife]

Or - maybe - that board member is a Prince fan?

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/07/07/prince-the-internets-comp_n_636411.html

[Jayhawk]

"I don't see why I should give my new music to iTunes or anyone  else," Prince explained. "They won't pay me an advance for it and then they get angry when they can't get it."

It's called being paid for your work based on actual sales, not on advances based more on the artist's ego or reputation than on how good or popular the work will be with his audience. SEE ALSO: Direct correlation of multimillion-dollar book deals with multimillion-copy book pulping.

"The Internet’s like MTV,” Prince told the Mirror. “At one time, MTV was hip, and suddenly it became outdated.”

True enough, though it's hard to be a force in the music industry when your programming no longer includes anything related to music. And prince didn't seem to mind going along for the career ride while MTV was hot.

[NightmarePatrol]

I would not classify the internet as a passing fad. It has certainly evolved over the years since is has become publicly available. Sam Goldwyn made the statement "Who the hell wants to watch a movie at home?" when some guy was pitching this thing later to be called VHS to him. In the end he sold the patent to JVC for something like $2,000. JVC ran with the idea obviously. The same thing in Meadville in the late 1950's when some guy came to town looking to sell the rights to Talon Zippers for this new stuff he invented called velcro. Talon passed because it was a passing fad of a product having no true value.

So let's look at it this:

Most of your telephone calls are out on the internet at some point in the form of VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol). This is more true almost all Cellula calls.

If you have a Blu-ray player, it should  have an internet connection to get firmware updates so it can play the latest movies with all their features.

As a research tool it is invaluable. Would you rather search for information here or wade through tons of periodicals at the library?

Like buying stuff online because it's cheaper or you can't get it near you? The internet has certainly been good for that.

The list goes on and on.

The internet is not done evolving. Changes in technology have affected all of us. The entertainment industry has benefited from it. Unfortunately the artists have only benefited when they knew how to take advantage of the technology. The internet is in it's teens (comparatively speaking in human terms) at the moment and will continue to grow.

Is it a good thing? It's hard to say. Is it a passing fad? Probably not. Will it be replaced by something else. Yes, in time it will.

[Lifetime]

Fact of life..... if you don't budge into anything in the 21st century...expect to lose something. Again... When I see a Seasoned Citizen with a cellphone/mini puter and spews they don't need a computer or even wants to own a puter, my eyes roll to the back to my head. Or.... "we don't own or can't afford..." apparently can't find their way to a library in their brand new SUV. I admit.... there are some reasons but not all the crap I have heard for excuses.
 
What if a percentage is offered off those bills or statements...I would love to see how fast people will at least attempt to learn someting. Even the Senior Center offers FREE lessons.
 
Now for my wife and I.... we do pay some bills online.... it saves us money and time... gas, to doing something we enjoy more instead of spending 44 cents or driving. I use the internet to order my medication from the Veterans Admin Med Center and get it faste than if I mailed in the request. My Vehicle documents as well as my license is ordered online and much more is available.
 
You worry about safety? Watch your credit cards trip when you use it to pay for a meal or product... Now, I will admit...I don't really like Direct Deposit on my checks.... It is my dealings many years ago when I had more hair and less birthdays. I had DD and when something happened that I needed to STOP it.... 2 or 3 more checks were deposited in an account and ended up as a loss to me, before DD was stopped. I would rather have the checks in my hands to cash them when I want, if at all. I have more control.
 
My point is.... if we totally refuse to move forward, we will be left that much further behind and maybe have to deal with even more difficulties..... Loss of close places to pay bills, and even any at all. Maybe the loss of mobility and God knows... snailmail is not getting any cheaper or convienient.
 
I am not forcing anyone to utilize the puter/internet but I don't want to hear BS reasons when being told why they don't. We still live in a world where there were people born before public use of phones/planes and even cars....though not many but.... I bet they used at least 2 of them before today. I am not puter literate in a lot of things but I did the "crash and burn" school to learn what I do know. No classes, just do it. So my bet..... We had the internet in the late 60's (military, not Gore) and we will long after I take the dirt nap. The internet will imbed itself in everything we have and do.... Onstar *S*, GPS systems, even imbeded med systems placed in our own bodies will get signals to dole out life giving meds. The Satellite Dishes are here to stay. IMHO

[NightmarePatrol]

Yep, move forward or get run over by your peers. I gave my parents a computer. It sits in the house, unused, collecting dust because they don't want to pay for an internet connection. Many people are technophobic and some are just plain resistant to change. Change can be good, though not all if it is. For me it's different, this is my livelihood and I need to at least be aware of what's going on. I have to pick and choose what I do because I don't have the budget to get all the toys. In fact I don't really have that many.

Like Lifetime said.

My point is.... if we totally refuse to move forward, we will be left that much further behind and maybe have to deal with even more difficulties.....

Yes Ko-Shin, not everyone can get on the bus, but those who can and don't will be relegated to joining this organization sooner than they think. Hell, even they have a web site!

[lifefeedsonlife]

I'm just worried about when it goes from the Internet to SkyNet.

[NightmarePatrol]

Skynet won't go into operation until the NSA and google shake hands.

[Lifetime]

Well how far can it be....we have computer guided robots doing actual operations on Humans...Mostly joint replacements but who knows in a few years. We have allower computers to do our climate control all the way to building things for us. AI is not far off.
 
Oh and talk to people in their 80,s and 90's who at least learn to use the puters to keep in touch with family and friends all over the world.... Just utilizing the internet for email is a step forward... Have seen older who even have cameras on their puters and actually see and talk to grand kids thousands of miles away. My Grand Daughters, both pre teens who, talk to and see their cousins in Korea. They are even able to exchange photos as opposed to mailing them.
 
This statement (by NP) reflects most of this... "Many people are technophobic and some are just plain resistant to change." I look at the puters as a tool. Now, I do NOT GAME and have no interest in it, short of solitaire. There are things I don't do or have an interest in like X-Box or Wii. Though interesting, I will use the money for something else.
 
 

I'm just worried about when it goes from the Internet to SkyNet.

[Jayhawk]

This isn't an issue of expecting all older adults to embrace computers and the internet. For those who want to, classes and help are available, as Lifetime pointed out, and many old dogs have learned all kinds of new tricks over the years -- cellphones, VCRs, ATMs, electronic voting, etc.

I'm middle-aged. I still prefer books on paper and draw the line at self-checkout lines at the grocery store.

In this case, though, it's one or more technophobes holding back the sewer authority from giving customers the option of online bill paying -- a convenience for customers and something that in the long run will help the authority, too.

[NightmarePatrol]

Just because you don't have a computer doesn't mean you don't use the internet. People browsing the internet is not even close to 100% of what goes on out here. People use it unknowingly daily from pulling up the guide on your TV to making phone calls. It's used in many ways people don't even realize.

[Puffin]

I lean toward NP on this. The technology is evolving toward one device for tv-radio-phone-fax whatever. The carrier for the data will be something like todays internet.

[Jayhawk]

I lean toward NP on this. The technology is evolving toward one device for tv-radio-phone-fax whatever. The carrier for the data will be something like todays internet.

Nonetheless, for the foreseeable future, you'll still have to mail a check to pay your Sharon sewer bill.

[Spicoli]

I lean toward NP on this. The technology is evolving toward one device for tv-radio-phone-fax whatever. The carrier for the data will be something like todays internet.

Nonetheless, for the foreseeable future, you'll still have to mail a check to pay your Sharon sewer bill.

You can also have it automatically deducted from your checking account which is easier yet.  Or have it automatically charged to a credit card. 

Since there's so many poor people in Sharon, the sewer authority probably figures that a lot of residents can't afford computers, thus it wouldn't be worth it to have the online payment option.

[CindyLouWho]

I pay each and every bill we have online with exception of our homeowners insurance.....they are still living in the stone age....my husband gripes about writing that check every 3 months.