Banking on the beach

It's summer, it's Friday and yes, it's beach party time.

In this latest news
on beach trends, folks "will wear wristbands that automatically debit
their bank accounts or credit cards to pay for beach access, food and
parking".  Yes, it's true.  In Ocean City, New Jersey, they're
investing in a $3 million wi-fi project to allow people to wirelessly
wear RFID chips that pay their beach fees.  As a result, the antiquated
beach badges are a thing of the past and the beach badge checkers - 170
jobsworths who go around checking that you've paid - are made
redundant.

Meantime, Facebook, MySpace, Second Life ... now
Dogster.com.  Dogster.com is the social network for dogs and there's
some great entries such as Chewy who is going to be taught "his commands in French so he will be bi-lingual!" and Freddy who is "bucking for a promotion to secretary of northeast dog operations". 

There's even the life and loves of Lord Pippin, a three-year old Yorkshire Terrier who keeps his own blog with entries such as:

"My Day at the Bank - January 16, 2007

"Well, today while Mommy worked, Papi took me to Bank of America . Yup.
I always go there. I walk on the counter, and they gave me a bag of
bones in a special Bank of America envelope. Looks like cash! hehe....."

followed by

"My Visit to the Bank - January 17, 2007

"Since
i am a frequent visitor of the Bank of America and they are sooo good
to me. Mom bought THEM a BIG HEART full of Russell Stover Chocolates.
THEN , she told me to be a gentleman and give the heart to the ladies."

I personally think Lord Pippin is casing the joint and has joined the Bark-lays League, the gang of rescue dogs who go around robbing banks. Of course, if you don't like dogs, there's always Catster.com.

It must be summer ... it must be mad dogs and Englishmen ...