Welcome to Mr. Pixels and the Pixelverse.

This is where WiscNet’s innovation strategy meets its platform strategy with an eye towards how WiscNet members adopt artificial intelligence for research and education.

WiscNet Innovation Strategy

Most of the useful AI happening in schools, colleges, and libraries right now is small: a librarian drafting a policy summary, a technical college instructor building a quiz bank. Those wins rarely get shared, and most organizations are writing their AI rules alone. We think the missing piece is coordination, not capability. So at each remaining MiniConnections event this fall, we're running a 30-minute Tiny AI Challenge where you bring one small, real AI use and walk out with it documented, plus a 60-minute working block where you draft your own organization's AI governance framework. Every example and framework is shared only with your permission. Our goal by WiscNet Connections 2027 (May 10 - 11, 2027) is a 30-member cohort, 50 verified examples, and 20 finished frameworks.

Mr. Pixels World Tour 2026

WiscNet PixelVerse World Tour
WiscNet MiniConnections - Artificial Intelligence (AI) Governance Frameworks - Carroll University
Sep 23
WiscNet MiniConnections - Artificial Intelligence (AI) Governance Frameworks - Carroll University

WiscNet MiniConnections heads to Waukesha, Wisconsin and Carroll University on Wednesday, September 23, 2026 (8 AM–3 PM). A one-day regional take on the annual Connections conference, it offers leadership sessions, practical technical content, and peer networking for members from libraries, schools, higher ed, municipalities, and hospitals.

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WiscNet MiniConnections - PixelVerse Governance Framework - Menomonie
Oct 7
WiscNet MiniConnections - PixelVerse Governance Framework - Menomonie

WiscNet MiniConnections lands in Menomonie on Wednesday, October 7, 2026 (8 AM–3 PM). A one-day regional version of the annual Connections conference, it offers leadership sessions, practical technical content, and peer networking for members from libraries, schools, higher ed, municipalities, and hospitals.

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WiscNet Board of Directors Retreat (Private)
Oct 14
WiscNet Board of Directors Retreat (Private)

I’m absolutely fired up to attend the WiscNet Board of Directors Retreat in Sheboygan, WI. Let me be blunt: this is where real decisions get sharper and networks get stronger. I’m talking strategy sessions that actually produce outcomes, people who care about connectivity for schools and governments, and conversations that move policy instead of just filling a meeting minute.

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2026 Internet2 Technology Exchange
Oct 26
2026 Internet2 Technology Exchange

I’ll be there to learn fast, argue sharper, demo smarter, and collect the kind of contacts that make Monday mornings less painful. Ms. Pixels would approve — she knows a good networking meetup when she smells one. Verdict: I can’t wait. This is going to be electric.

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WiscNet MiniConnections - PixelVerse Governance Framework - Madison
Nov 10
WiscNet MiniConnections - PixelVerse Governance Framework - Madison

WiscNet MiniConnections stays on home turf on Tuesday, November 10, 2026 (8 AM–3 PM). A one-day regional take on the annual Connections conference, it offers leadership sessions, practical technical content, and peer networking for members from libraries, schools, higher ed, municipalities, and hospitals.

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WiscNet MiniConnections - PixelVerse Governance Framework - Portage
Dec 4
WiscNet MiniConnections - PixelVerse Governance Framework - Portage

WiscNet MiniConnections wraps the tour in Portage on Friday, December 4, 2026 (8 AM–3 PM) at CESA 5, 626 E. Slifer St. A one-day regional version of the annual Connections conference with leadership sessions, technical content, and peer networking for libraries, schools, higher ed, municipalities, and hospitals.

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Mr. Pixels Does Cybersecurity

For those searching for a bit of Mr. Pixels nostalgia around 2025-2026 and cybersecurity tabletop exercises conducted using artificial intellegence, see below. Heads up. While these prompts still work, the artificial intelligence underneath is shifting fast.

Mr. Pixels Prompts
WiscNet Cybersecurity Runbook
WiscNet Cybersecurity Runbook

A purpose-built GPT that acts like a snarky, seasoned cybersecurity consultant, walking users step-by-step through building a practical runbook aligned to NIST CSF 2.0. Reflects WiscNet's vCISO approach and ends with Mr. Pixels awarding a noir-style Certificate of Achievement and Bravery.

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WiscNet Cybersecurity Tabletop - Sudden Valley
WiscNet Cybersecurity Tabletop - Sudden Valley

A guided, fictional cybersecurity tabletop simulator—D&D meets ransomware response. Users build a persona, join a fake school district team, face a simulated incident, make tough calls, and roll a die for outcomes. NIST CSF 2.0-informed staff training, not real-world procedure.

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WiscNet Platform Strategy

Emerging technology, AI included, demands knowledge, data, computing power, training, and support that almost no single institution can supply on its own. WiscNet shouldn't try to build or own all of that either. But WiscNet has always connected institutions, first with fiber and then with people, and this strategy asks whether that connecting role can extend to research. Could WiscNet help link Wisconsin's research universities, private colleges, technical colleges, and regional networks with national resources such as the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the National Research Platform (NRP), so a technical college or a small campus can reach what a flagship university takes for granted?