Inside Wisconsin

Al Gore has been inducted into the Internet Hall of Fame. So has Wisconsin’s Larry Landweber. I’m betting you know all about Gore, the former vice president and U.S. senator who is occasionally skewered on late-night comedy shows for once saying he “took the initiative in creating the Internet.” In truth, Gore actually made essential political contributions to the Internet during its formative years. I’m also guessing you know next to nothing about Landweber, who along with Gore and 31 others made up the inaugural class of the Internet Society’s Hall of Fame, announced in late April in Geneva, Switzerland. Full Story 

The first thing to recognize about magazine polls on state business rankings is they are all, by nature, subjective. That’s not necessarily bad, of course, and it’s not meant in the least to downplay the fact that Wisconsin has climbed to No. 20 on the “Best States/Worst States” list published by Chief Executive magazine. In fact, it’s intended to underscore the importance of public perception when it comes to economic development. Full Story 

The latest job loss figures from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics may have been just a snapshot in time, but it wasn’t a pretty picture. The feds reported this month that Wisconsin was the only state in the nation with “statistically significant” job losses between March 2011 and March 2012, a time span in which the state lost 6,100 private-sector jobs. Full Story 

Even when his audience isn’t made up of scientists or engineers, David Krakauer usually gets an opening laugh when he warns his after-dinner chat is about the laws of thermodynamics. The funniest thing is – he’s kidding only in part. By the time Krakauer is finished talking, those who have listened can feel the heat. Full Story