10/9    What's so hot about e-bill or other web-based payment systems for
        paying utility bills?  The old-fashioned method of automatic payment
        from checking accounts has existed for more than 20 years, and it
        doesn't even require any user action as some e-bill methods do.
        \_ Plus if you're a hermit and set up all your bills this way, you
           can die in your apartment or house and it can take years for
           people to discover your dead body which is cool.
        \_ I'd rather have user action (don't like automatic deductions),
           and I'd rather not have paper bills or checks.  -tom
           \_ I agree with tom. I don't like automatic deductions.
              \_ Specifically, say you cancel your service with a company
                 but for some reason they keep billing you.  With direct
                 withdrawal, they're still taking money out of your account
                 every month until you get it worked out; with the modern
                 systems, you can choose to cut them off any time you want.
                 Here's the setup I use: whenever my bill payer receives a
                 bill for me, they automatically *schedule* it to be paid
                 in a few weeks.  If I'm paying attention, I can log in and
                 edit or cancel the payment before it goes out; if I'm not
                 edit or cancel the payment before it goes out.  If I'm not
                 paying attention, my bills still get paid.