boiMAG.com "Life Style"

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COVER Jacky Couture, photo by Joshuana Aponte

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chicago pride fest 2020 Goes Virtual

VIRTUAL PRIDE FEST: June 20th-21st Time: 7:00pm - 9:00pm MORE INFO AT:

northalsted.com/pridefest/chicago-virtual/

DONATIONS FOR:

Center on Halsted, Howard Brown Health and other community programming

Chicago Pride FestŽ is a legendary two-day street festival traditionally held the weekend before the Pride Parade. Nearly 100,000 are usually expected to attend the annual outdoor event. This year the event will be held virtually. The fest is all about LGBTQ+ life, culture and community. Previous year highlights included entertainment featuring top local and national music acts, DJs, food and drink, 100-plus arts/craft and merchant vendors, dancing, drag shows, a pet parade, sponsor booths and more. It’s a love-filled celebration of diversity, equality and the Chicago LGBTQ+ community on Halsted Street in the Boystown neighborhood, also known as Lakeview and Wrigleyville. boiMAG.com


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jacky couture Cover Feature

Jacky Couture, affectionately known as “The Latin Barbie Doll” at The Baton Show Lounge where she performs, has won 11 pageant crowns in her career and is currently the reigning La Reina del Sur USA 2019. Her performances are always dazzling and unique, with a little something you will probably remember forever.

The Baton Show Lounge has entertained millions over its 51 year history. The groundbreaking Baton originated just off Clark Street and Hubbard in the River North neighborhood in downtown Chicago in 1969, but made a venue change in March of 2019 to the gorgeous lower level speakeasy of the iconic Uptown Broadway Building in the Uptown neighborhood of Chicago. This unique, triangle shaped building, completed in 1926, features a one-of-akind ornate sculpted terra-cotta facade including depictions of helmets, fruits, birds, and trophies, and received an

update on the north side of the building with a Hebru Brantley Flyboy mural in 2015. Now just a short walk from this building are the historic Riviera Theatre, the landmark Uptown Theatre, Aragon Ballroom, and Green Mill Lounge. Many of these venues were once connected by underground tunnels that were believed to be used by Al Capone during the Prohibition Era to escape law enforcement raids. Many of you may know the Aragon Ballroom as the home of CircuitMOM’s massive dance parties during Chicago’s Market Days Street festival held every August. CircuitMOM recently featured Jacky as one of the performers during an onlinespecial where they gave viewers an inside look at The Baton as they featured an exciting collection of acts from Chicago’s eclectic entertainment scene. boiMAG.com 15


Bombay Wraps – 3149 N. Broadway • (773) 799-8989 Brazilian Bowl – 3204 N. Broadway • (773) 857-2002 Buena Vista – 3147 N. Broadway • (773) 871-5782 Byron’s Hot Dogs – 1017 W. Irving Park • (773) 281-7474 We recommend calling the restaurants below first before using 3rd party delivery services. 11 Degree North – 824 W. Belmont • (773) 904-7284 • Monday – Thursday: 8am-4pm • Friday, Saturday, Sunday: 8am-6pm

Cesar’s Killer Margaritas 2924 N. Broadway and 3166 N. Clark • (773) 296-9097 (Broadway) • (773) 248-2835 (Clark) Cheesie’s Pub & Grub – 958 W. Belmont • (773) 388-1574

5411 Empanadas – 2850 N. Clark • (773) 755-5411

Chengdu Aroma – 3227 N. Clark • (773) 698-8822

Al’s Beef – 3420 N. Clark • (773) 935-2333

Chicago Diner – 3411 N. Halsted • (773) 935-6696

AJ Hudson’s Public House - 3801 N Ashland • 773-248-2767 • Daily delivery and pickup: 1am-9pm • Available: GrubHub and UberEats

Chilam Balam – 3023 N. Broadway • Take Out available Beginning 3/17 • (773) 296-6901

Aloha Poke – 843 W. Belmont • (872) 817-7300

Clark Street Dog – 3040 N. Clark • (773) 281-6690

Andy’s Thai Kitchen – 950 W. Diversey • (773) 549-7821

Cozy Noodles n’ Rice -3456 N. Sheffield • (773) 327-0100

Ann Sather – 909 W. Belmont • (773) 348-2378

Crisp – 2940 N. Broadway • (773) 697-7610

Artemio’s Bakery – 3904 N. Sheridan • (773) 525-0445

Cubby Bear – 1059 W. Addison • (773) 327-1662

Barangaroos Aussie Pies – 3208 N. Sheffield • (773) 770-3510

D.S. Fajita Factory – 3445 N. Halsted • (773) 770-4618 • 11am-9pm daily

Big Star Wrigleyville – 3640 N. Clark • (773) 857-7120

Dimo’s Pizza – 3463 N. Clark • (773) 525-4580

Bite’s Asian Kitchen & Bar – 3313 N. Clark • (773) 270-5972

DMK Burger Bar – 2954 N. Sheffield • (773) 360-8686

Bittersweet Pastry Shop – 1114 W. Belmont • (773) 929-1100

Drew’s on Halsted – 3201 N. Halsted • Beginning Wednesday 3/17 • (773) 244-9191

Black & Caspian – 2908 N. Broadway • (312) 975-0609 Bluebird – 2863 N. Clark • (773) 661-1531 Bolivar & Lincoln – 3349 N. Sheffield • (773) 360-8203

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DryHop – 3155 N. Broadway • (773) 857-3155 D.S. Tequila – 3352 N. Halsted • (773) 697-9127 • 11am-9pm daily


El Mariachi Tequila Bar and Restaurant 3906 and 3420 N. Broadway • (773) 549-2932 • M-F from 4pm-10pm, Sat-Sun 10am-10pm • Free chips and salsa with all orders over $10 • GrubHub, Postmates, Uber Eats, Caviar and In House deliveries. Credit Cards only

Houndstooth Saloon – 3369 N. Clark • (773) 244-1166 Hutch American Bistro – 3301 N. Clark • (773) 248-1155 Jaiyen – 3736 N. Broadway • (773) 404-0555

Eggsperience – 3233 N. Broadway • (773) 904-8802

Joy’s Noodles & Rice – 3257 N. Broadway • (773) 327-8330

El Jardin - 3335 N. Clark • (773) 528-6775 • Open at 11am daily

Kitchen 17 – 3132 N. Broadway • (312) 391-8654

Esencia Urban Kitchen – 3351 N. Broadway • (773) 472-8553

Klein’s Bakery & Cafe – 426 W. Diversey • Beginning 3/17 • (773) 904-8292

Flub a Dub Chub’s – 3021 N. Broadway • (773) 857-6500

Krung Thep Thai Cuisine – 3205 N. Halsted • (773) 296-2178

F. O’Mahony’s – 3701 N. Broadway • (773) 549-0226

Kubo Chicago – 1232 W. Belmont • (773) 857-1408 Little Wok – 3144 N. Broadway • (773) 525-8111 Lowcountry – 3343 N. Clark • (888) 883-8375 Matisse Tavern & Grill – 674 W. Diversey • (773) 528-6670 Mediterranean Express – 905 W. Belmont • (313) 338-4165 Mia Francesca – 3311 N. Clark • (773) 281-3310 Mild2Spicy – 714 W. Diversey • (773) 661-6778

Full Shilling – 3724 N. Clark • (773) 248-3330

Milt’s BBQ – 3411 N. Broadway • (773) 661-6384 • 12PM-7PM Sun-Thurs, & 12-1 Friday

Furious Spoon – 800 W. Belmont • (773) 697-9085

Mixteco Mexican Grill – 847 W. Belmont • (773) 472-3434

George Street Pub – 2858 N. Halsted • (773) 661-6635

Modern Grill – 3172 N. Halsted • (773) 528-0705

Glaze Teriyaki – 3112 N. Broadway • (773) 697-3580

Nando’s Peri-Peri – 670 W. Diversey • (773) 634-7153

Graystone Tavern – 3441 N. Sheffield • (773) 666-5450 • 11am-9pm daily

Nola Bar & Kitchen – 3481 N. Clark • 773-661-1873

Happy Camper Wrigley – 3458 N. Clark • (312) 872-5959 Harold’s Chicken – 3933 N. Broadway

Nori Lakeview – 954 W. Diversey • (773) 904-1000 Nori & Wasabi – 3109 N. Halsted • (773) 799-8500 (continued on a following page)

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Sports Corner Bar & Grill – 956 W. Addison • (773) 929-1441

Oasis Fresh – 500 W. Diversey • (773) 666-5090

Stan’s Donuts & Coffee – 3300 N. Broadway and 2800 N. Clark • (773) 883-4764 (Broadway) • (773) 868-0173 (Clark) Strings Ramen – 919 W. Belmont • (773) 661-6442

Original Pancake House – 616 W. Diversey Tac Quick – 1011 W. Irving Park • (773) 929-8130 • M-F from 6:30am-2pm, Sat-Sun 6:30am-3pm • (773) 327-5253 • Available: GrubHub, UberEats & Carry Out Tanuki Sushi – 3006 N. Sheffield • (773) 360-1950 Panes Bread Cafe – 3002 N. Sheffield • (773) 665-0972 Taste of New York Bagels & Deli – 3268 N. Clark • (773) 904-7934 Philly’s Best – 907 W. Belmont • (773) 525-7900 The Crepe Shop – 2934 N. Broadway • (773) 857-0018 Potbelly – 924 W. Belmont • Open 8am-9pm for pickups and deliveries. • (773) 348-5204 • Deliveries through Grubhub and Postmates Red Pig Asian Kitchen – 2932 N. Broadway The Gundis Kurdish Kitchen – 2909 N. Clark • (773) 472-9999 • (773) 904-8120 Rise Up Nutrition – 2909 N. Broadway Turkitch – 565 W. Diversey • (224) 585-7791 • (773) 453-3323 Roadhouse 66 Gas N’ Grill – 3478 N. Sheffield Wake N’ Bakery – 3508 N. Broadway • (872) 206-5309 • (231) 638-5877 • Carry out only ROCKS Lakeview – 3463 N. Broadway • (773) 472-0493 Well’s Street Popcorn – 2804 N. Clark • 7 days a week from 11am-9pm • (888) 576-7267 Roebuck – 3159 N. Broadway Wilde Bar & Restaurant – 3130 N. Broadway • (773) 857-2229 • (773) 244-0404 • Wednesday-Sunday, 4pm-9pm • 11:30am – 8pm • Closed Mondays & Tuesdays Select Cut Steakhouse – 2808 N. Halsted • (773) 244-1500

Windy City Sweets – 3308 N. Broadway • (773) 477-6100

Shake Shack – 3519 N. Clark • (312) 766-5882

Wrigley BBQ – 3555 N. Broadway • (773) 472-1227

Shiawase – 3422 N. Broadway • (773) 883-8888

Yango’s Grill - 2845 N. Broadway • (773) 922-1273

Si-Pie Pizzeria – 3477 N. Broadway • (773) 360-1862

Yummy Yummy Asian Cuisine • (773) 525-6677

Slice of Cheesie’s – 964 W. Belmont • (773) 697-8941

Yoshi’s Cafe – 3257 N. Halsted • Carry-out only • (773) 248-6160

Smoke Daddy Wrigleyville - 3636 N. Clark • (773) 227-2583 • 11am – 8pm daily Soupbox – 2943 N. Broadway • (773) 935-9800

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Zam Zam Middle Eastern Grill – 3461 N. Clark • (872) 802-3601 Zizi’s Cafe – 2825 N. Sheffield • (773) 697-9228



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why?

There Must be a Reason There are certain questions that burn in the back of your mind throughout your life. You might wonder why something is built in a certain way, why a particular item is always in a specific location, or why your body does something. Yet you’ve never been able to come up with a logical answer to these common questions despite knowing that there must be one. Below are few questions that have baffled people every day, along with the simple answers that finally provide closure.

Why Do Airplanes Have Ashtrays When Smoking Is Banned? Smoking on airplanes is banned by pretty much every airline in the world. Apart from the fact that cigarette smoke is unpleasant for others passengers, smoking is also a fire hazard, possibly even responsible for the downing of Varig Flight 820. Despite the fact that smoking is forbidden, it is hard not to notice that toilets on airplanes have ashtrays in them. It is not just older plane models, either; brand new commercial aircraft also come fitted with ashtrays. The answer is that the Federal Aviation Administration requires airlines to have ashtrays on their airplanes. Even though smoking is banned and airplanes are fitted with smoke alarms, the FAA knew that some people would still smoke. Providing a place for people to safely dispose of their cigarettes was deemed too important for safety reasons.

Why Do People Sneeze When Looking At A Bright Light? Around a third of all people will uncontrollably sneeze when they enter a brightly lit environment, such as when they go outdoors from a dim building. It’s a phenomenon that has baffled scientists for thousands of years. Sneezes are a reactionary response. They can be caused by a number of different stimuli but usually happen due to nasal irritation. However, in the case of the so-called “photic sneeze reflex,” the sneeze is triggered by looking directly at a source of light.

Researchers have proposed various theories to explain exactly why this happens, although none have ever been widely accepted. Most scientists now believe that the photic sneeze reflex may be the result of some crossed wires in the brain. The optic nerve that senses light is located right next to the trigeminal nerve that controls sneezing. When the optic nerve sends electrical impulses to the brain, the signal triggers the trigeminal nerve, confusing the brain into thinking the nose is irritated and a sneeze is necessary.

Why Does Hair Turn Gray? It happens to everyone as they advance in age. From around 30 years of age, although it can certainly start earlier than that, people begin to notice that their hair is slowly losing its natural color and instead is turning gray and eventually white. Despite how widespread this is, the explanation behind the phenomenon is not well known. Hair gets its natural color from pigment cells known as “melanocytes.” Melanocytes produce chemicals that pass black, dark brown, red, and yellow melanin to cells that create the chief ingredient of hair, keratin. As people get older, melanocyte cells degrade, causing the keratin to receive less pigment. This leads to hair becoming gray. Eventually, the cells stop functioning altogether, which leads to hair no longer getting any pigment at all and turning completely white.

Why Do Stores Blast Air At Entrances? It is a fairly common occurrence to be blasted with air upon entering a store or mall. This isn’t simply the owners trying to cool you down. The practice is used in a variety of buildings, including restaurants, factories, and loading bays. It has several uses, but the primary one is to keep the temperature in a building steady by preventing air from leaving or going in through an entrance. The jet of air is used to keep cold air out of the stores during the winter and to prevent cool air escaping during the summer. This is especially useful when doors need to remain open most of the time. Air doors are also incredibly useful for stopping flying insects and trash from entering a building by providing turbulent air that they cannot pass through.

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PRIDE JOURNEY Featuring Fort Lauderdale

By Joey Amato If you live in a cold weather climate like I do, there is no better feeling than visiting a warm destination towards the end of the winter season. And what better place to visit than one of my old stomping grounds and the place where I officially came out, Fort Lauderdale, Florida. From the moment I exited the plane, I felt like I was in store for a leisurely, sun-filled holiday. I stayed at The Grand Resort & Spa, which is located just steps away from the beach and in close proximity to some wonderful restaurants. The Grand is gay-owned and operated and is always extremely welcoming whenever I stay there. From check in, to check out, the staff caters to your every need. The resort offers two outdoor pool areas, one being clothing optional, as well as a full-service spa. Every time I visit The Grand I try to schedule a spa treatment but never seem to have time. After a few months in quarantine, I can surely use a massage right about now.

Wilton Manors is pretty casual during the day, so strolling up and down ‘The Drive’ is not uncommon. On my stroll, I came across Wilton Creamery, a cute ice cream shop that also offered a variety of bubble tea items, so of course I had to try one. The lavender milk tea was a really good choice. I was a bit hesitant to order that flavor, but the owner said it was one of top picks among his staff. If you are looking for some shopping therapy, head over to Mix Menswear or Ball Sportswear, both located in the Shoppes of Wilton Manors. The retailers have a variety of clothing from high-end suits to skimpy swimwear, perfect for a pool party or day at the beach. Also, in the shopping center are Hunters Nightclub and Georgie’s Alibi. Ironically, both venues also have establishments in Palm Springs.

Fort Lauderdale is known for being one of the most LGBTQ-friendly destinations in the world. That can be seen while visiting The Stonewall National Museum and Archives (SNMA), one of One of the jewels of the greater Fort the largest gay archives and libraries in Lauderdale area is Wilton Manors. A mecca the United States. SNMA presents an for the LGBTQ community, Wilton Manors is ongoing 12-month schedule of exhibitions home to dozens of shops, restaurants and on LGBTQ themes and public programs, nightlife venues all owned and/or operated including author presentations, films, panel by members of the LGBTQ community. discussions, and collaborative events. Furthermore, the museum operates an art My first stop in Wilton Manors was gallery in Wilton Manors which exhibits Rosie’s Bar & Grill. Having worked a few LGBTQ artwork. blocks from Rosie’s when I was editor of South Florida Gay News, I was a frequent A short drive from SNMA is the NSU Art customer of Rosie’s. The food is consistently Museum Fort Lauderdale, the city’s good and a quick lunch there is fairly largest art museum. During my stay, the inexpensive. If you go, order the She BOP museum was presenting an exhibition Wrap with a side of sweet potato fries. It’s called Happy! The exhibition is organized one of my favorite items on their menu. by NSU Art Museum Fort Lauderdale and will be on view through July 5, 2020. 24 boiMAG.com


Before heading back to The Grand, I decided to meet up with Richard Gray, Fort Lauderdale’s Senior Vice President of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion. I’ve known Richard for many years. He has played an integral role in helping the city become a diverse and inclusive locale. We had dinner at Lona Cocina Tequileria, located in the Westin Fort Lauderdale Beach Hotel, which offers stunning views of the Atlantic. We spent the next 3 hours sharing stories, sipping margaritas and enjoying delicious food prepared by celebrated chef Pablo Salas. Two of my favorite selections included the Ceviche prepared with grouper, rock shrimp, lime and avocado as well as the Lobster Quesadilla made with large chunks of butter-poached Maine lobster accompanied by a chipotle aioli. After a quick power nap, head back out to Wilton Drive to experience some of the best LGBTQ nightlife in the country. You can literally walk from venue to venue and experience every kind of nightlife imaginable. Lesbian-owned Sidelines Sports Bar is a favorite among the ladies and sports enthusiasts, while The Eagle is a hotspot for the leather community. DrYnk Bar & Lounge has become a favorite destination among locals and just up the road, The Manor Complex continuously hosts some of the most famous DJs in the country.

The Pride Center is a major site for HIV testing and prevention, education and counseling and offers holistic and comprehensive support programs for persons living with HIV/AIDS. What trip to Fort Lauderdale would be complete without a trip to the beach? And more specifically, Sebastian Beach. Out Traveler has called Sebastian Beach, located at the intersection of Sebastian Street and A1A, the “Hottest U.S. Gay Beach.”

One of my favorite weekly parties in Wilton Manors is the Classic 54 T-Dance, every Sunday at Hunters. DJ Richie Rich spins 70s and 80s disco all night – which I love. I may have been the youngest person in the room, but I can’t resist an evening of ABBA, Donna Summer and KC & the Sunshine Band.

Greater Fort Lauderdale is truly an internationally diverse city, which is easy to visit from almost any U.S. city including many South American destinations. Given what the world has been through over the last few months, I think we all need a beach day!

Also located in Wilton Manors is The Pride Center at Equality Park. For nearly 25 years, The Pride Center has provided a welcoming and safe space for South Florida’s LGBTQ community. The Pride Center hosts more than 60 regular meeting groups each month and more than 35,000 people attend activities at the Center each year.

Rainbow Rating: 5/5

Enjoy the Journey Joey Amato is the publisher of Pride Journeys, a website dedicated to LGBTQ travel. Joey has spent over a decade in LGBTQ media and public relations and currently resides in Indianapolis, Indiana. He can be reached at joey@pridejourneys.com Copyright © 2019 Pride Journeys, All rights reserved.

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who is justin? JUST ask brian! What are the Best ways to Handle Anxiety?

By Brian Falduto One of the things that has been interesting during this time is the almost completely opposite counterbalance of struggles that I think people would generally identify with. For example, I suffer from chronic anxiety and have found a lot of my symptoms of that alleviated during this time because in a way, a lot of the variables of day-to-day life have become more fixed and controlled. My peers who would not normally call themselves anxious are struggling to cope with all the uncertainty and risk. In a similar parallel, I consider myself to be both an introvert and a master at disassociation at times and my extroverted peers who seem to seamlessly integrate themselves into the flow of things as their standard are now coming up against some new territory that require skills that to me have always felt very familiar and perhaps even commonplace to how I function. A point I want to make (and I’m not sure everyone who suffers from this will agree with me) is that I wouldn’t trade my anxiety for the chance to not be anxious. I’ve done the work, and I mean a lot of work, on my relationship with that voice inside my head that contains all the doubts, the worry, the frustrations with myself, the paranoia of others; all

the wonderful feelings that come with anxiety that are honestly way too many to name. Scratch that, I should have said that haven’t done the work, but I’m doing the work. It’s a constant battle. But even before Covid-19 showed me the benefits of the survival tactics I’ve picked up over the years, I knew that there was a sensitive, creative, and vulnerable part of me that my anxiety came about to protect. Sometimes I need to gently ask my anxiety, whom I call Justin, to step into the next room so that I can be present with whatever I’m doing. But Justin is just a part of me as everything else I hold dear to who I am and I’m well aware he’s not going anywhere, so it benefits me more to create space for him. If you’ve stopped reading because you’re convinced I’m a schizophrenic, that’s fine. If you’re still with me, I shall stop bragging about how many surprisingly adequate tools I’ve found in my toolbox for dealing with a global pandemic and I want to instead move on to sharing some of what I practice with you because it’s never too late to start building your toolbox. After all, toolboxes are filled with items meant to help with starting a project or fixing up an old one and it’s certainly true that the world needs some fixing up at the moment and perhaps even a restart. (continued on a following page) boiMAG.com 27


Best ways to Handle Anxiety (Continued)

Justin is an example of a tool. Even just naming that voice that fills you with fear is a massively productive way of bringing awareness to it. Awareness is the greatest agent for change because it takes a problem that you’re facing and it stops it from creating a tornado of thought inside your head and it instead allows you to hold the problem in your hand and look at it with some perspective. Right now, the entire world is experiencing a tornado of negative information, doubt, and uncertainty so one can only imagine what is going on inside someone’s brain. What should be understood about anxious individuals is that at any given moment on any given day and sometimes even for no particular reason, a tornado of worrisome thought can appear out of nowhere. Fishing into that toolbox in response to that hurricane of thought becomes a necessity. My suggestion for those who are not used to the presence of their Justin in their lives would be, stop fighting him. This is the first time any of us have experienced something like this. It is unprecedented. Of course a Justin is going to try and swoop in and protect us with all these fight-or-flight thoughts inside our brain. Protectors don’t just go away when we ask them to. Ever heard of an overbearing mom or a cop who gives out too many speeding tickets? Sometimes they overstep and similarly, everyone’s Justin is

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probably getting a little carried away with his attempts to protect them. But just like the world needs moms and the world needs cops, you need your Justin. So stop fighting him and instead create some space for him. If you do not have a mindfulness practice or a way to create space around the thoughts that are taking over your head during this time, find your anxious friend and ask them to help you start building a toolbox. I guarantee they know your struggle and they want to help. Choosing to stay in the eye of a tornado of thoughts seems peaceful momentarily, but in reality, it could be that you’re just trapped.

Brian Falduto is an ICF certified LGBT Life Coach but he is best known for his child actor days as “that gay kid from School of Rock.” Recently named by PrideLife Magazine as “one of the 20 most influential, outspoken, & optimistic individuals on the planet,” Brian wrapped a cross country #PrideTour this past summer inclusive of Sacramento Pride, RI Pride, Brooklyn Pride, Dallas Pride, & more. His Now This News interview has reached an audience of just under 5 million & he’s had similar reach with his Advocate essay. Brian’s latest single, “Like a Wave” dropped just last month & is now rippling its way through the digital streaming world. Brian is the lead in a new series, Fishing, which will hit the web soon. Additionally, Brian has launched “The Gay Life Coach Podcast,” which will be hosted by Brian & will feature some of the queer community’s most prominent storytellers. Meanwhile, you can catch his latest press & content updates on his website, brianfalduto.com.




by John Stephens

Transparency and Traceability

Consumers who are increasingly aware that their personal information is valuable, are demanding control. Many are recognizing the increasing risk of securing and managing personal data. Beyond that, governments are implementing strict legislation to ensure they do. Transparency and traceability are critical elements to support these digital ethics and privacy needs. More legislation similar to the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is likely to be enacted around the world in the coming years. As many more organizations deploy AI (artificial intelligence) and take advantage of machine learning to make decisions in place of humans, this is a further cause for concern. There evolves a driving need for explainable AI and AI governance. This trend requires a focus on these key elements of trust, integrity, openness, accountability, competence and consistency.

The Empowered Edge

Edge computing is a computing topology in which information processing and content collection and delivery are placed closer to the sources, repositories and consumers of this information. This allows for the reduction in latency, and it allows for some level of autonomy on these edge devices. Edge Computing was born from the need for IoT (internet of things) systems to deliver disconnected or distributed capabilities into the embedded IoT world. It is said that edge computing will become a dominant factor across virtually all industries with increasingly more sophisticated and data storage. Complex edge devices, including robots, drones, autonomous vehicles, and operational systems will accelerate this shift.

This will extend the role of devices as the basis for smart spaces and will move key applications and services closer to the people and devices that use them.

The Distributed Cloud

Distributed cloud is how the cloud is shifting. Most have thought of the cloud as being independent location that's just out there somewhere. But now with distributed cloud, physical location of where those data centers are located becomes increasingly important. The cloud now expands its territory and becomes a distributed cloud, which is the distribution of public cloud services to different locations while the originating public cloud provider assumes responsibility for the operation, governance, updates to and evolution of the services. This represents a significant shift from the centralized model of most public cloud services and will lead to a new era in cloud computing.

MORE Autonomous Things

Autonomous Things are the physical devices that use artificial intelligence to automate functions previously performed by humans. The most recognizable current forms of autonomous things are robots, drones, autonomous vehicles, and appliances. The automation of these things goes beyond the automation provided by rigid programming models, and they exploit AI to deliver advanced behaviors that interact more naturally with their environments and with people. As technology capability improves, regulation permits and social acceptance grows, more autonomous things will be deployed in uncontrolled public spaces. boiMAG.com 31





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