Our coalition strives to generate discussion on a broad range of technology issues including green technology.  Folded within this issue is supporting renewable energy such as wind energy. I was recently watching Good Morning America and caught this inspiring story of an African man, William Kamkwamba, who recycled old motor components, a bicycle wheel, and a PVC pipe to make a wind turbine from scratch.

So with a piqued curiosity, I did some research and found this great video all about Kamkwamba’s work and impact on his severely impoverished village. Check it out

Not only did Kamkwamba teach himself about the fundamentals of harnessing wind energy but did so reading books written in a foreign language—English. Oh, and he was only 14 years old. Yeah.

Kamkwamba’s wind mill enabled his village to decrease their dependency on kerosene—powering 4 lights and 2 radios, and even mobile phones.

It is Wired Wisconsin’s hope that we all recognize the potential adopting and creating technology has in achieving our dreams and changing our realities. Technological growth depends on drawing ideas and knowledge from many sources and making the connections to link them together. What will your technology-enhanced dream be?

The Boy who Harnessed the Wind: William Kamkwamba (website)

Rep. Tom Nelson’s Opinion Editorial in the Capitol Times:

You’d be hard-pressed to find someone who doesn’t agree that the Internet has revolutionized our daily lives. We can communicate faster and cheaper than ever before, get up-to-date news with the click of a mouse, and do our banking and shopping without ever leaving the couch. Whether you’re permanently attached to your Blackberry, or still haven’t quite figured out e-mail, our world is now wired, and it’s likely to stay that way.

For businesses, the proliferation of the Internet is somewhat of a double-edged sword. On the plus side, it helps reduce costs, connects customers with the specialized goods and services they want, and generally makes business transactions easier and more efficient. On the other hand, it’s nearly impossible to run a business without high-speed Internet. It doesn’t matter if your business is big or small, run out of a corporate office park or your home office — the Internet is critical for success.

Unfortunately, lack of high-speed connectivity is a serious problem that persists in communities all across Wisconsin. Because of the high cost of developing broadband infrastructure, Internet providers wait until they have a critical mass of customers before investing in an area. Urban areas reap the benefits of high-speed Internet, while small towns and rural communities are left to rely on outdated services like dial-up. It’s almost as if entrepreneurs who live in the wrong ZIP codes are doomed to fail, which is bad for business and bad for Wisconsin.

Thanks to the leadership of Wisconsin Congressman Dave Obey, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act includes $7 billion in loans and grants for the purpose of improving our nation’s broadband infrastructure. The funds will be made available to state and local governments, as well as private companies, to help make the necessary investments in broadband infrastructure. Wisconsinites should take note, however, that we are competing for funding with every other state in the nation. We must be able to make the case that Wisconsin citizens and Wisconsin businesses want and need high-speed Internet.

The Wisconsin Public Service Commission has launched a survey to help identify broadband needs in Wisconsin, so our state will be well-positioned to compete for federal funding. I urge all Wisconsin residents to visit http://psc.wi.gov, where you can share your experiences with Wisconsin’s broadband infrastructure and express your ideas about how it can be improved. If you can’t access the survey online, you can call the PSC to get a hard copy at 888-816-3831, or my office at 888-534-0005.

A fully wired Wisconsin won’t happen overnight. But the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act provides an incredible opportunity to help build Wisconsin’s broadband infrastructure. By acting now, we can ensure that no matter where they live, Wisconsinites have access to the technology that makes our world run.

Rep. Tom Nelson, D-Kaukauna, is the Assembly majority leader.

Hearing more and more voices join the debate about stimulus dollars bringing broadband internet into rural areas, it is important that Wired Wisconsin offers our perspective as well. $7.2 billion dollars of the stimulus package has been allocated for broadband deployment. There are countless people still unable to access a service many of us see as a necessity to everyday life. Most of us do not even think twice about checking our email once a day-ok, countless times a day-or getting the answer to our questions with a few clicks of the mouse. Or maybe you Connected have a whole routine when you first logon in the morning. Mine is checking the weather (a must in Wisconsin), scanning the latest headlines, and checking my various social networking sites (who befriended me today?). The point is that for the majority of us being able to access all the wonders of the internet is a no-brainer, something we expect just as we expect the lights to come on with a flip of the switch. That’s right, I am comparing having electricity to having internet access.

This debate has essentially two sides: First, there are the people who feel that using stimulus dollars to fund the “cyber bridge to nowhere,” is not worth it economically.

The other side of the debate argues that everyone deserves access to broadband service. Just as government dollars were used to bring electricity to households decades ago, these dollars should now bring broadband to our rural neighbors. As it says in Wired Wisconsin’s mission statement “Wired Wisconsin is a non-profit coalition of concerned individuals, businesses and organizations who are working to put our state on the cutting edge of technology.” Notice this says state not just metropolitan areas and their surrounding suburbs. Rather, one of Wired Wisconsin’s top priorities is to bring broadband services to all areas of the state as means to increase the free flow of information. For Wired Wisconsin, we remember and respect our economy’s agricultural roots and will continuously advocate on behalf of all Wisconsinites for policies that encourage competition between broadband providers to offer better services, much less service at all.

What about you-what are your thoughts on denying funds for broadband access to rural areas? Do you have a friend or family member who isn’t connected? Share your story on why this is important to you.