Good Ideas

Drink, Good Ideas, Technology

Italians Create First Zero-Gravity Espresso Machine

by JOHN ADAMS • 06/19/2014 • Comments

The ISSpresso —

Business, Corporate Welfare, Free Markets, Good Ideas, Government Spending, Technology

A Tech Company That Seeks Private Support

by JOHN ADAMS • 06/18/2014 • Comments

What does a small tech company that seeks private support look like? Often, we’ll not know, because those private companies seek the support of private venture capital, in thousands of encounters and presentations across America each day. Sometimes, though, one sees more because a private tech startup looks to something like Kickstarter to win backing…

City, Film, Good Ideas

Film: Today @ 12:30 PM at Seniors in the Park, The Great Beauty

by JOHN ADAMS • 06/18/2014 • Comments

There’s a screening today at 12:30 PM of The Great Beauty @ Seniors in the Park, in the community building. The 2014 winner of Best Foreign Film (at both the Academy Awards and Golden Globes) will be shown in Italian with English subtitles. The film runs two hours, twenty-two minutes in length and is rated…

Good Ideas

The Better Approach of the Dark-Horse Underdog

by JOHN ADAMS • 06/09/2014 • 1 Comment

Dark horses (who emerge unexpectedly) and underdogs (who have the odds against them) are not the same thing. Still, I can think of no better combination as a model for approaching the world. While one cannot be a dark horse forever, and one is unlikely to be an underdog perpetually, it’s a powerful and satisfying…

Beautiful Whitewater, City, Good Ideas, Press Release

Thursday, May 15th, 8-10 AM: Make Whitewater Even Nicer

by JOHN ADAMS • 05/14/2014 • Comments

Downtown Whitewater volunteers and supporters: help us give the downtown a little “spit and polish” ahead of UW-Whitewater graduation this weekend! This will be a light cleanup, after the major cleanup April 26. When: Thursday, May 15, from 8 to 10 am. Where: Meet at Discover Whitewater (150 West Main Street). * We’ll be sweeping…

City, Good Ideas, Local Government

Rethinking Fort Atkinson

by JOHN ADAMS • 05/08/2014 • Comments

It has often been said of ancient Israel that her excellence lay in how she differed from her less thoughtful and less civilized neighbors. Not the common and vulgar practices of others, but her own singular beliefs and practices, made her great. Nearby Fort Atkinson has, over recent years, been both an economic rival and…

City, Good Ideas, New Whitewater, Open Government

‘Best Practices, Fair Treatment, Transparency’

by JOHN ADAMS • 04/30/2014 • Comments

Writing about the city requires reading the public documents of local government, even if one chooses not to write about what one’s read. Reading and observing come well before writing. Daily observation inclines an observer not to the immediate, but the distant – one takes a longer view of things. Along the way,…

Beautiful Whitewater, City, Education, Good Ideas, School District, Science/Nature

Science Night in Whitewater

by JOHN ADAMS • 03/20/2014 • 2 Comments

Diet Coke & Mentos from John Adams on Vimeo. Last night was Science Night in Whitewater, and many hundreds from the city turned out to see dozens of displays and exhibits. My family had a fine time, and I’d say that Science Night (held periodically but infrequently) is one of our favorite public events in…

Education, Good Ideas, School District

Rube Goldberg Machines

by JOHN ADAMS • 11/22/2013 • 1 Comment

From Lincoln Inquiry Charter School, there’s a recently-released video of students building Rube Goldberg machines. In their clever work, one finds true innovation: LINCS Rube Goldberg 2013 – Short Version from Whitewater Community TV on Vimeo.

Business, City, Free Markets, Good Ideas, Hip & Prosperous, Local Government, New Whitewater, Planning

The Planning Commission Meeting for 11.11.13

by JOHN ADAMS • 11/12/2013 • 1 Comment

Whitewater’s Planning Commission met last night, and among the topics was consideration of re-zoning and a conditional use permit for Casual Joe’s, a new restaurant, tavern, and distillery to operate at 319 W. James Street (at the site of a long-unused commercial building, the former Fort Auto Body). On 4-3 votes, a majority of…

Beautiful Whitewater, Charity, Food, Good Ideas

Whitewater’s Kiwanis Pancake Breakfast

by JOHN ADAMS • 09/23/2013 • 2 Comments

My youngest and I went to Sunday’s Kiwanis Pancake Breakfast at the high school. We had a great time. Light, perfectly-prepared pancakes, the very size of a pan, with link sausages, syrup, butter, and one’s choice of coffee, juice, or water. For a small price, one could order extra sausage, too, as we did. Once…

Beautiful Whitewater, Good Ideas, Health, Sports

Scenes from the Discover Whitewater Races, 9.22.2013

by JOHN ADAMS • 09/22/2013 • Comments

Agriculture, Good Ideas

The Creative, Cheesy Solution to Icy Roads

by JOHN ADAMS • 09/14/2013 • Comments

Here’s a creative way to make use of Wisconsin’s prodigious cheese production:

Beautiful Whitewater, City, Good Ideas, New Whitewater

Join Downtown Whitewater’s August Downtown Cleanup, Saturday, August 24th from 8 AM to Noon

by JOHN ADAMS • 08/21/2013 • Comments

Here’s your chance to be part of a group that’s keeping Whitewater beautiful — Join Downtown Whitewater for its August Downtown Cleanup to welcome UWW students and their families back to town When: Saturday, August 24th from 8 am to Noon. Where: Meet at Discover Whitewater (150 West Main Street). We’ll be sweeping the streets…