Wisconsin Republican Congressman Paul Ryan issued a short statement today on his official House website announcing that he strongly opposes the Stop Online Piracy Act and says that if it comes up for a vote on the floor of the House he will vote against it. While some credit a campaign on Reddit to oppose him in his upcoming election bid by supporting his Democratic opponent (which more than likely did have some affect on his decision), chances are he also got an earful from constituents that hate the bill sponsored by Lamar Smith (R-Texas).

A new proposal before the City Council of Madison, Wisconsin has some residents and civil rights groups up in arms this week. An effort to collect the personal information of individuals who sell various used items (books, DVD's, music CD's, iPods, games, and more). Under the proposed Madison city ordinance, if someone sells items to a second-hand store they will have to provide personal information and a photo will be entered into a police database. Local business owners, civil rights advocates and the public are not pleased.

Whoever said you can't fight city hall has never been to the great state of Wisconsin. State legislators (admittedly a bit more powerful than city hall) found themselves overwhelmed with calls after trying to cut the throat of Wisconsin's state educational Internet system. The public phoned members of Wisconsin’s state Assembly and browbeat them into submission.

The calls were so overwhelming, according to published reports, that lawmakers in the state immediately put together revised legislation for WiscNet that would allow it to receive funding from the University of Wisconsin's Division of Information Technology. The Assembly quickly added provisions to the state budget, with final approval taking place early this morning. WiscNet provides Internet for most of Wisconsin's public schools and libraries, and many citizens in the state think it is a vital and important service.

Wisconsin’s Film Tax Credit Program is paying off for one Green Bay-based developer.

Self-described “punk rock” game development company Frozen Codebase will receive $35,315 in tax credits according to a release issued by the Wisconsin Department of Commerce. The developer, which has two current teams made up of 29 employees total, will receive the funds for its work on a currently-in-production videogame, which has a total project budget of $141,257.

Wisconsin Governor Jim Doyle stated “I am pleased that we could assist Frozen Codebase, LLC in expanding its products,” adding, “Projects like these ensure that we develop the infrastructure and skills necessary for the entertainment industry to thrive in Wisconsin.”

Some Green Bay Packers team members - including linebacker Clay Matthews - are honoring active Wisconsin National Guard members currently serving overseas with the help of a controller. A number of players are challenging soldiers in online games of Call of Duty and Guitar Hero. Wisconsin Guard members are playing at a USO Center in Basra, Iraq.

The event is part of the ongoing Operation Fan Mail, the "game day military family recognition program" where a nominated family is saluted on Lambeau Field prior to the singing of the national anthem.

More details can be found at search.channel3000.com.

A University of Wisconsin-Madison doctor is the beneficiary of three-year long, $2 million grant to develop an interactive game designed to “uncover and neutralize implicit, unintentional biases against women, minorities and people with disabilities.”

The grant, entitled the National Institutes of Health Director's Pathfinder Award to Promote Diversity in the Scientific Workforce, came from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act and is administered by the National Institute of General Medical Sciences.

Molly Carnes (pictured), Director of the school’s Center for Women's Health Research, will oversee the development of the games, which will “place faculty in situations where they can recognize the self-defeating nature of implicit bias.”

Looks like the Entertainment Software Association (ESA) will have to update its list of U.S. colleges and universities offering videogame courses and degrees, as Rasmussen College is about to become the latest institute of higher learning to offer game-related curriculums.

This October will see Rasmussen offer Bachelor’s degree programs in Game & Simulation Programming and Digital Design & Animation at 14 campuses in Minnesota, Wisconsin and Florida, as well as online.

A probe into the misuse of city funds by management information systems employees vendors of the Wisconsin city of Fond du Lac turned up money spent on videogames and will result in criminal charges.

Over $200,000 in municipal funds was spent illegally by four MIS employees and two city vendors, all of whom have been, or will soon be, charged in the embezzlement scheme according to the FDLReporter. Money was spent on items including an infant kangaroo costume, a Nintendo Wii bundle and even an $87 ham. Additional items seized under the investigation included a copy of Gears of War and 16 guns, “three or four” of which were suspected of being purchased with taxpayer funds.

Checks and balances designed to stave off such improper spending were easily circumvented, in part, because MIS employees new their supervisor’s password.

Items that were able to be physically recovered are being stored at the police department and may be sold at auction so the city can recover some money.

Thanks in part to the 2009 Johnny Depp movie Public Enemies, the state of Wisconsin has scaled back tax incentives that were aimed at luring film, television and videogame makers to the Badger State.

Funding for the Department of Commerce-backed program has been reduced to $500,000 per year, while in earlier years there was no limit placed on incentives. The budget thresholds for eligible productions were also lowered however, to $50,000 for film projects and $100,000 for game developments.

While more aggressive incentives did manage to lure the Public Enemies production to Wisconsin, after doling out $4.6 million in tax credits to the production, it was estimated that the filming of the movie only brought in $5 million in local economic activity, according to the Wisconsin State Journal.

Commerce Department spokesman Tony Hozeny said, “The bang for the buck just wasn’t there.”

If you happen to be a thermal engineer with a specialty in low temperature, cryogenic applications and you’re feeling a little out of practice, a new interactive training simulator can get you back up to speed.

Cool-It emerged from The University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Division of Information Technology department. Users choose from a selection of jobs for the Navy or NASA—overseeing a variety of minesweepers or space depots—before being tasked with building the object so that it falls within tolerances.

The Flash-based sim is rather polished and the explosions resulting from failed engineering attempts are neat as well… trust us.