The most innovative beach town in America

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The town of Ocean City in New Jersey (located just 20 minutes from Atlantic City and 2 hours from New York City) is trying to become the most innovative beach town in the USA:

“At the beach of the future, high tide will meet high tech. Visitors will wear wristbands that automatically debit their bank

accounts or credit cards to pay for beach access, food and parking.

Garbage cans will e-mail cleanup crews when they’re ready to be emptied.

And people won’t even think about trying to sneak in: Beach checkers

could scan the sands with handheld devices and instantly know who

didn’t pay. This southern New Jersey city plans to deliver a variety of public

services and Internet access using radio-frequency identification chips

and Wi-Fi wireless technology. The $3 million project is expected to be

finished by next summer.”

Currently, Ocean City bills itself as “America’s Greatest Family Resort.” By 2008, Ocean City may need to amend that to “America’s Greatest High-Tech Family Resort.”

[image: Ocean City Shoreline by GoGrrlGo on Flickr]

A weekly newsletter featuring the biggest ideas from the smartest people