Lost in Austin by LASA Ezine

Table of Contents 3 Letters from the Editors By Team Lost

The Editors experience and who they are.

5 A Bite into Austin’s Food By Rohan Gupta

Explore Austin’s diverse foods.

9 A Tourists Guide to Austin By Pranav Bingi

Where you should visit in Austin.

11 Spring Fed Pools in Austin By Liam Boone

Austin’s popular natural spring fed pools.

13 Not Your Ordinary Education By Liam Boone

Descover more creative ways to learn.

Global Emissions By Sam Franklin The carbon emissions throughout the world.

19 The Technology Capital of Texas By Pranav Bingi

The growth of Austin through technology.

23 Virtual Reality in Austin By Rohan Gupta

The technology that has changed Austin.

25 Local Businesses:Game Stores By Sam Franklin

The classic ways to have fun are still gaining cash.

29 Letters from the Editors The Editors experience and who they are. 2

Meet Team Lost Sam Franklin Liam Boone Pranav Bingi

Rohan Gupta

Team lost is posing for a picture. (Tobius Chanow/2017)

Sam Franklin: Photo and Graphics Editor

My name is Sam Franklin, and I am a freshman at Liberal Arts and Science Academy High School in Austin, Texas. I spend most of my time doing homework, but in my free time I watch TV, play sports, and play video games. Because of my passion for electronic and board games I chose my magazine topic for this activity to be local businesses, in particular: game and toy stores. I another thing I am very passionate towards is keeping our world clean, and because of this, I decided to do global carbon emissions for my asf. In my asf I compared Austin to other cities and their carbon emissions, and I gave a few reasons of why we should keep our town clean. I think that carbon emissions are very important because we want to be nice to the world we live on and we donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t want it wear it out to just a rocky block of mass in our universe. During my experience of writing these articles I found out so much about game stores, toy stores, carbon emissions and I also learned a lot about the people in my group that I worked with during this project.

Pranav Bingi: Fact Checker I am a freshman currently attending the Liberal Arts and Science Academy in Austin, Texas. I enjoys many hobbies and activities including swimming, rock collecting, and reading. I love to travel during my spare time and hopes that one day I will visit all the states in the U.S. Out of all of the places I have visited, I still enjoy the unique vibe of Austin culture and never grows old of its attractions. I derived the idea for his ASF from his love for Austin hotspots and his wish to share them with travelers like himself. I aspire to become an engineer in the future and work in the field of technology. I am especially interested in the future of technology for Austin because he hopes that it will continue to grow to a more advanced city. This passion is what led him to write his article; The Technology Capital of Texas. Austin has grown at an exponential rate in the past decades and I want to know what the future will hold for Austin. I have learnt many things from writing this article from how to use photoshop tools and indesign, how to interview someone, and how to write an article.

Rohan Gupta: Copy and Content Editor My name is Rohan Gupta and I am a student who attends the Liberal Arts and Science Academy and loves the unique culture of Austin, Texas. From the food trailers on South Congress to the familiar restaurant chains that are gossiped about throughout the entire metropolitan, I have always had a passion for local Austin food. For this reason, I decided to base my feature article around the popular cuisines in Austin and how their uniqueness has affected the local culture. He created his Alternate Story Form, “Virtual Reality in Austin” because of the rise in popularity around Austin and the world for the new technology. In this ASF, I study what other LASA students think about Virtual Reality. My love for technology, especially Apple products, has inspired me to learn coding and I currently practice in Java and Python. I am often excited to go to school and my favorite classes are science related ones, such as Biology and Computer Science. In addition, I enjoy spending my free time with my friends by gaming or playing soccer recreationally. Although I was not born in Austin, I can proudly say that Austin has branded its mark on me for the rest of my life.

Liam Boone: Layout and Features Editor My name is Liam Boone and I am a student who goes to the Liberal Arts and Science Academy and have lived in Austin, Texas since I was born. I love robotics and am on the Eclipse 12670 Robotics team. I may be the only freshman on the team, but I am training to be the operator and am in charge of logistics. It may sound boring but is a ton of fun. I went to a charter school for most of my school career, and when I came to LASA and nobody knew what they were, I had to fix it. When I was given the opportunity to write an article, I knew immediately what I wanted to write about. I also wrote about the spring fed pools in Austin because that is where I went with ay family whenever it was hot outside, which is most of them in Texas. My group can be incredibly stressful, annoying, and completely indecisive, but I wouldn’t choose any other people to work with. I had a blast working with them and arguing with them, through changing our color scheme three times, and racing in shopping carts. My experience with this group and this article was awesome.

A Bite into Austin’s Food By Rohan Gupta (Flickr / 2017)

t seems that everything in city of Austin, Texas, is a little weird. It’s been that way since the 1960s and it doesn’t look like it’s going to stop, only grow. This weirdness has gradually spilled into Austin’s food. Some call its food unique and others portray it as odd or different. However it is described, Austin’s food seems to add to the culture of the city. Food is a big factor of enjoyment for the citizens of Austin. Traveling around the dynamic metropolitan of the city, seen are many types of restaurants and food trailers. At those trailers and restaurants, the composition of the new melting pot that is Austin, Texas, is seen. Different races and cultures bring unique foods. With the strong Mexican influence in Austin, due to the close proximity of Mexico, a popular style of food is Tex-Mex. In addition, due to the Italian food boom in the 1980s, 5 lots of dishes relating to that culture

can be seen in Austin. Sweets are also another thing that Austinites seem to enjoy, as bakeries and dessert related restaurants are often hot spots. However, they aren’t just any regular sweet shop, these businesses feature unique items that are not usually found on an ordinary dessert menu.

“We really care about how you feel when you’re in here because we want to make your day better. If there is a problem with your food, you’re gonna expect us to try and fix it.” -Joel Fried

Austin is the capital of Texas, which borders the culturally dense country of Mexico and the technologically modern country of the U.S. This means that there

is bound to be an immense Mexican culture fused with the culture of the United States in Austin. This unique culture is ever so present in the odd, yet delicious food that is eaten in Austin. In Northwest Austin, a small local TexMex restaurant called Eldorado Cafe is stationed. This restaurant is very new, only being two months old. Owner of, Joel Fried said that he wanted to bring a good name to the table of Tex-Mex food. Fried believes Eldorado Cafe can satisfy that dream of his. “This is the food from where I grew up. It’s the food I love to eat and so there’s the love and passion,” said Fried.

The front side of Eldorado Cafe is shown with a colorful sign and design to portray the casual, party theme of the restaurant. (Rohan Gupta / 2017)

Fried decided to name his restaurant Eldorado Cafe because he, just like many other locals have been influenced by the Mexican culture in Austin. Fried explained his experience with Mexican culture when he said, “I wanted something that reflected both sides of the border. I’m from Texas but I’ve worked alongside Mexican mine cooks my whole life. You know, I thought that Eldorado sounded like a blend of cultures.” Joel Fried, owner of Eldorado Cafe, had to write a very detailed business plan to get the funds to start his restaurant. With the help of his wife and social media, Fried was also able to advertise Eldorado to his community and other local areas of

Austin.

Spinozadas are a dish that are prepared in Eldorado Cafe, which contain 2 specialty quesadillas filled with cheese, peppers and caramelized onions. It is typically served with salsa, sour cream and guacamole. (Rohan Gupta / 2017)

With the great interest in Tex-Mex of the local area, Fried inspired most of his dishes around it. At Eldorado, there are many popular and unique dishes that customers regularly purchase. “The Shiny Ribs is our most popular dish. That’s Chinese spare ribs with Mexican technology. The Papas Rellenas are really popular. That’s, the goat cheese stuffed mashed potato cakes, that’s really good. The enchiladas are popular. The Carnitas, they’re really good,” said Fried. From day one, Fried has received a positive review of his restaurant. “The first couple weeks we opened, we were on a wait everyday, everynight. So the response has been really cool.” However, Fried believes that the perfect restaurant consists of not only great food but even greater service. “I think the service we try to offer is genuine hospitality. We really care about how you feel when you’re in here because we want to make your day better. If there is a problem with your food, you’re gonna expect us to try and fix it. You don’t like the enchiladas? We’ll get you one with

different sauce, we’ll get you a taco,” said Fried. Many restaurants often miss this link in their service, but it is very important.

tender, a server, a hostess, a cashier, a busser, and a dishwasher. Nothing can be beneath you.” Mangieri’s work ethic is what has made her restaurant so successful and popular among the local communities. Mangieri’s Pizza Cafe has amazing reviews on Yelp because of its delicious and unique food. Reviews on Yelp range from loving their breadsticks to the delicious pizza they make that they make.

Shown is the seating area of Eldorado Cafe and the founder talking to customers as the local community is very close. Overcrowding is also a big problem at Eldorado Cafe as it is always filled to its maximum capacity. (Rohan Gupta / 2017)

Located in Southwest Austin is Mangieri’s Pizza Cafe. This restaurant is a very popular Italian restaurant in the local community of Circle C.

Mangieri’s Pizza Cafe also supports teenagers in many nearby communities like Circle C. “We are a place where a lot of people have their first job. A lot of our employees move from hostess, to cashier, to server, to bartender, and even to manager,” said Mangieri. Mangieri’s Pizza Cafe loves giving young people like highschoolers the chance to get a job so they can learn responsibility and be prepared for the future when they get one as an adult. However, just like with Eldorado Cafe, quality of food isn’t everything.

“We are a place where a lot of people have their first job. A lot of our employees move from hostess, to cashier, to server, to bartender, and even to manager” -Piper Mangieri

Shown is the front of Mangieri’s Pizza Cafe. Customers have access to outdoor seating and the restaurant’s festive environment create a community feel. (Rohan / 2017)

Just like Fried, owner of Mangieri’s Pizza Cafe, Piper Mangieri had to work very hard when getting her business started. Mangieri said, “As an owner, you are a janitor, a plumber, an electrician, a computer tech, a cook, a delivery driver, a bar-

Although another location has been opened in Lakeway, Mangieri does not want to expand her restaurant too much. “We have to have the right people in place to expand while keeping our high standards in tact. We are not willing to sacrifice quality or customer service,” said Mangieri. “You can have great food, but if you don’t find a way to provide amazing customer service and connect the customer with a feeling regarding the atmosphere in which

they are eating the food, the food normally won’t stand on its own,” said Mangieri. Mangieri overcomes this problem by spending hours upon hours training her staff. “You can’t preach what you don’t practice yourself. We treat of staff members with the same respect we give our customers,” said Mangieri.

Waitress at Mangieri’s Pizza Cafe, has a friendly discussion with customers while serving their food. (Rohan / 2017)

Mangieri’s Pizza Cafe has found out that great food plus great service, equals greater success. That equation is what makes Mangieri’s restaurant so unique and popular. Just like with Italian and Tex-Mex food, Austin has managed to make it so popular and unique. It’s no different when it comes to sweets. Sweet Treets Bakery, is a locally-owned bakery in Southwest Austin. Manager, Jamie Smith said, “the success behind Sweet Treets Bakery is because of the value, price and the quality of the baked goods.” Local grocery tycoons like H-E-B also have very low prices for the value of their bakery products. So what makes Sweet Treets Bakery Different? It’s customization options that really cause the business to thrive.

At Sweet Treets Bakery, you can find many unique cake designs, including the Death Star cake and the Beer & Hamburger cake. Sweet Treets makes some very unique and cool cakes. (Rohan / 2017)

The list of popular restaurants in Austin goes on and on. There’s Chuy’s, Torchy’s Tacos, Pacos Tacos, Salt Lick, Amy’s Ice Cream, Maggiano’s Little Italy, Uchi and many more unique restaurants that add to the beautiful culture that Austin has to offer. For those living in Austin, or plan on visiting the great city, come prepared to try the unique dishes of the world, fused together in different ways to create something completely “weird.” R

A Touristâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Guide To: Austin

A one day guide to tourism in Austin By: Pranav Bingi

Start off your day by eating breakfast at a popular austin restaurant like kerbey lane cafe. After eating breakfast stop by the Greetings From Austin mural. The mural is a great picture spot and is one of the icons of Austin.

Image of the Greetings from Austin Mural

After taking a few photos at the Welcome to Austin mural drive to Zilker park. Zilker park is one of the biggest parks in Austin and is home to the kite festival, the trail of lights, and ACL.

Next go to Hope Outdoor Gallery. Hope Outdoor Gallery is an outdoor community gallery with Austin style art and murals to see. This location will serve to immerse yourself in the depths of Austin culture. Hope Outdoor Gallery is also a great photo spot in Austin.

Image of Zilker Park

Image of the Hope Outdoor Gallery

Next go to congress avenue to see the Texas State Capitol. The Capitol building has a dome shaped top which you can take pictures of. The Capitol building is home to the Texas legislative branch which makes the laws in Texas. The building is full of exiting history and has multiple statues of memorable events outside.

5. 6. 7.

After exploring the sunred capitol building explore the UT campus. There are many restaurants in the surrounding area that you can go to. You can see the vibrant campus light as college students roam the campus and downtown Austin. While there you should definitely look for the frost tower and the UT tower which lights up in burnt orange End the day off by looking at the bats as they fly from underneath the Congress Bridge. See Mexican Free Tailed Bats fly from their cave, the world's largest bat colony. While on Congress bridge there should also be a view of downtown Austin and Lady Bird Lake. Image of the Texas State Capitol

Image of the UT tower

Image of the Congress Bridge Bat colony

Sources: www.flickr.com, commons.wikimedia.org, www.pixabay.com www.batcon.org, www.tripadvisor.com, http://hopecampaign.orm

There are many festivals that occur in Austin that bring in hundreds of thousands of people each year to see them. ACL or Austin City Limits, Formula One, and South by Southwest are all Austin events and festivals that are exclusive to Austin. These events and festivals are a big part of life in Austin and are things you can possibly plan your vacation to Austin around. But until then Austin, the live music capitol of the world and the fastest growing city in the U.S, will be waiting

Spring Fed Pools In Austin Timeline of spring fed pools By Liam Boone

1. Deep Eddy Pool 1920s Deep Eddy pool is the oldest of the three big spring fed pools. Created in the 1920s, it has become a place to get together with freinds and family, cool off, and have fun due to its large range of depths to swim in and the amount of space it provides.

People are enjoing the cool waters of Deep Eddy Pool. (Steve Hopson Phototgraphy, stevehopson.com/2007)

Big Stacy pool was created in the 1930s, and is a smaller pool than the other two. Despite this, it has kept people in Austin entertained. And if you want to do some winter swimming, than this is a great place due to an Artesian well located 2000 feet below the surface.

2. Big Stacy Pool 1930s

3. Barton Springs Pool 1940s

The water at Barton Springs pool reflects the skyline. (Wikimedia Commons/2016)

A group of people are enjoying their family time at Big Stacy pool. (365thingsaustin. com/2012)

Barton Springs pool is a very well known pool in Austin. No matter how hot it is outside, you can count on Barton Springs to cool you off. The pool also helps pretect the endangered Texas Blind Salamander.

365thingsaustin.com

Not Your Ordinary Education

By Liam Boone

The NYOS and LASA emblems are seen over ladybird lake with the Austin skyline in the backround. (wikipedia.org/2012)

ome people need a more interactive and personal curriculum to learn. This is one of the founding ideals of charter schools. Charter schools are a big part of the education system, but not a lot of people know what they are. When asking kids what a charter school is, most won’t know anything about them. Charter schools are beneficial to students and people should know about them so they can make the right choice for their education. Students need to know about their options when choosing a school, to make the best choice for their own educational experience. Charter schools and public schools are a lot alike, and both have positive and negative educational factors. Specifically comparing the schools in Austin, Texas children should know this to plan for their educational future. If they are in the wrong learning environment, then their education will suffer for it.

campuses, the Pre-K through third grade campus and the fifth grade through 12th grade campus. NYOS accepts students from all over the Austin area, not just from the Austin Independent School District (AISD) area. NYOS focuses on giving oneon-one attention that some students require to learn. The Liberal Arts and Science Academy (LASA), is the public high school that will be compared to NYOS. LASA may be a

“A charter means trying to create something unique” -Wilson magnet school, but it follows the public school’s ideals. LASA is a much bigger school than NYOS, which can be beneficial to a student’s learning. LASA accepts students from all over the Austin area and provides them with a diverse collection of ideas and personalities to influence the students with many different beliefs.

The NYOS charter school sign reaches towards the sky. (Alexander Chan-Nui/2017)

Not Your Ordinary School (NYOS), is a very small charter school, even though it is a Pre-K through 12th grade school. They have only 72 kids in each grade. NYOS has two

NYOS tries to provide something different than the normal image of school. Curtis Wilson, NYOS high school principal, said a charter “Means trying to create something unique. Creating a learning niche to support the community with options.” Charter schools may sound like the obvious option, but they have some shortcomings. Since they have their own set of rules, or charter, they don’t receive as much state funding per student as public schools. They get even less due to the smaller class sizes. “We do not receive facilities funding from the state,” said Wilson. Low funding can affect lots of different

“Hey can you guys donate some laptops?” -Mink things inside of a school, but sciences are more affected than others.“I don’t think you’re going to get very far if you’re like ‘hey can you guys donate some laptops?’ That’s going to be tougher than a donated bunch of books,” explained Chris Mink, a NYOS eighth grade English teacher.

if I give you a project to do in you’re in a group with three or four other people then you’re probably going to live within five to seven miles of everybody on your group.” Schools like LASA and NYOS are negatively affected by not being a neighborhood school. “I mean there are some problems because we’re a magnet, but more because we take kids from all across the city. I think there are definitely unique challenges to that,” said Crescenzi. The benefit of having a charter is that you don’t have to follow all of the educational guidelines that can have

They may get less funding by having less students, but there are benefits to having small class sizes. Mink likes that “Everybody’s voice is sort of guaranteed to be heard at some point. It’s not like having, 35 to 40 kids in a class where the kids are able to hide in those classes.” Another benefit is being able to to know teachers on a personal level. Wilson explains that “Research shows that small class size in and of itself does not make a school great or a Liberal Arts and Science Academy is plastered on the side teacher a better teacher. of the school with a storm in the backround. What small class size does is (Liam Boone/2017) allow an already good teacher the opportunity to build good relationships negative effects on learning. Public with students and effectively provide schools have to follow certain rules to intervention and enrichment for students.” get the funding that they need. Mink explains that the curriculum “Can change NYOS and LASA take kids from all around from year to year. It’s not just the old the Austin area, which can be both good same old recycled thing.” and bad. Stacia Crescenzi, LASA high school principal explains the certain Being outside of the system allows benefits to a neighborhood school, “It’s teachers to be able to adapt their not like we’re a neighborhood school where curriculum to current events, which helps students apply their knowledge.“I think my

favorite thing is being able to make my own curriculum. Like I still have to hit all the teks and that nonsense. But at least my beliefs, I can choose like what text I use, what exercises and projects that I deem fit to,” said Mink. Public schools don’t have to follow every rule exactly as written. They can adjust for their schools focuses. Crescenzi said that “If you go to LBJ and you’re in the early college system you are agreeing to do the things within that system so high schools can have within them sort of these specialized requirements.” No one kind of school is better for every student’s needs. Crescenzi said, “I think that it depends on the kind of education you like for your child, like I would say that the reason people choose private or charter schools really varies like some people, they want smaller class sizes. That’s hard to do, you know with public school systems the size of the Austin district. Some people do because of the specialized curriculum, lucky here I have

“I can choose what text I use, what exercises and projects that I deem fit to” -Mink

a specialized curriculum, but traditional high schools have a hard time doing that and sometimes a charter or private are more able to do that.” Charter schools can benefit students with the smaller class sizes and different, more adjustable curriculum while Public schools have more funding and diversity of ideas. There is no school that is better, there is only schools that are better for an individual.R

The flag pole at NYOS charter school is bare in preperation for the incomming storm. (Alexander Chan-Nui/2017)

Global Emissions

Sam Franklin

The US alone emits 6,870 million metric tons of carbon dioxide every year; more than a quarter of the rest of the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s emitions. Even in Austin, our mostly clean city, carbon emitions are increasing rapidly.

Low Carbon Emissions 17

High Carbon Emissions

Three Easy Ways to Keep Our World Clean

Turn off your lights when you leave the house.

Eat less meat and dairy products.

Composting and Recycling go a long way.

FACT: The Average

Austinite is resonsible for 15 metric tons of CO2 emissions.

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/b6/Factory_1b.svg/2000px-Factory_1b.svg.png https://pixabay.com/p-36000/?no_redirect https://sfenvironment.org/sites/default/files/editor-uploads/zero_waste/image/rec_zw_bins_group3_05.jpg https://pixabay.com/p-1299408/?no_redirect

A U T S I N

(Lars Ploumann/2015)

T he Technology Capitol of Texas T

By: Pranav Bingi

The bikers pedaled down the that it is? exaggerated slope of a road. They swiftly entered the complex and Mutyala arrived in Austin in 2005 and slammed the brakes, abruptly stopping has lived here since then. Mutyala in front of a trash can. One of the describes that back then “there were less bikers dropped a half-eaten bar into people, less traffic, and less pollution the trash and prompted the rest of the and everything was so cool.” Austin did bikers to leave. A kid with curly brown not have the bustling city life that hair nearby reached into the trash can Austinites are accustomed to nowadays, but and pulled the bar out. His massive instead was much more laid back. jaws opened as he ate the bar in two massive bites. Ram Mutyala, an engineer One of the reasons for the laid back life with a bachelor’s was the small amount of and master’s corporations that were degree in present at the time. electronics and According to Mutyala, instrumentation during 2005 “most of and an Austin the companies were very resident, was established companies startled when he in Austin, like AMD, noticed this. Intel, Freescale, Dell, Never did Mutyala and HP. They were all think that Austin big companies that were would grow to already established. They become a city in had their own main office A crowd forms at the ACL festival in Austin, Texas. which people would back in California and (Commons.wikimedia.org) be so desperate as they had a second office to eat trash. in Austin, the exceptions being Dell and Freescale.” These companies One of the main reasons for the economic did not have big offices in Austin at the and technological boom in Austin in time, and didn’t require large amounts of the past few years is the influx of employees. technology companies and startups. This economic boost has affected the Austin Big establishments began to move to Austin population in their everyday lives: for multiple reasons. According to Mutyala increasing traffic, giving way to new there are three reasons why technology technologies, and bringing a new type companies moved to Austin. These three of city life into the homes of Austin. reasons can be best thought of as talent, Engineers are moving to Austin at a price, and commute or connections. faster rate than ever, and Austin has become the fastest growing city in U.S. Mutyala explains that this talent is and a high tech city to live. But how accessible in Austin through the nearby did Austin come to be the advanced city

(UT) and the good high schools in the area. Real estate prices are not high in Austin compared to California and other areas, so Austin is a very profitable choice for companies. Apart from that, the last reason are easy connections, like flights to other offices.

for start-ups. Technology companies and start-ups are the main reason for the recent economic boom in Austin, but there are many other factors, such as the movement of people to Austin from other cities. With the growing population and industries in Austin a

“No amount of technology can help a starving person.” — Mutyala

Sharath Koodali Edathil, a standard cell layout designer and Austinite, has another theory that states that technology is advancing in Austin because of Austin’s

Sharath Koodali Edathil looks at the camera for a photo in Austin, Texas. (Sharath Koodali Edathil/2015) Tej Kothakota smiles for a picture at his house in Austin, Texas (Pranav Bingi/2017)

vibrant and unique culture which consists of “a circumcision of cultures from around the world.” The culture of Austin is truly a diverse city. This, plus the three reasons earlier previously stated are the reasons for companies attraction towards Austin. Austin may be a good choice for established, big companies, but why is it a popular home to so many start-up technology companies? Well according to Tej Kothakota, a Technical Product Manager and Austin resident, the reason may be the good vibe of Austin in which engineers love to live. On top of that, the fact that there are so many new technologies here has made Austin a great environment

big question that must be asked is how many jobs will be available in Austin. Kothakota predicts that at “the rate at which people are coming right now we will need more companies to come to Austin. Right now, we have good balance in terms of number of companies and the number of employees. But if you look at the future we don’t have too many jobs. We had good enough jobs to sustain but people started coming” to Austin more. At this rate we will not have enough jobs for the population of Austin. This is a big problem that can be solved if more companies move to Austin. New technologies are affecting these companies more and more. The Internet has definitely had the biggest effect on companies and people. Koodali Edathil describes this phenomenon and technology saying that ”The Internet has

revolutionized everything we do in our lives, it has made everything so easy. You can see a person in the other side of the world in real time, you can talk to them and you can live the very moment with them through the Internet.” Our human society depends on the Internet and can feel lost without it.

different in the future. Mutyala says that Austinites have to remember that “as the tech population grows, wealthier and more conservative people who don’t really care about the city’s well being” are coming to Austin. As a result, the billions of dollars generated from Austin events like Austin City Limits (ACL) and South by Southwest (SXSW) are not spent anywhere.

“The Internet has revolutionized everything we do in our lives, it has made weverything so easy” — Koodali Edathil

Although there are many advantages of the Internet there are some disadvantages. One of the major disadvantages is data security. Koodali Edathil describes that “people are so used to posting their status on Facebook, such as leaving for a vacation or checking in at a place, but by doing this they are revealing their whereabouts to anyone on their friend’s list and they might be putting themselves at risk. Their house could be robbed if the bad guys know that they aren’t home, or someone could harm them if they know their whereabouts.” Data security becomes a growing issue

Ram Mutyala poses for a photo in his back yard in Austin, Texas. (Manvi Mutyala/2017)

as technology advances and should be thought about in the future. The future holds the solution to these issues in the present, but Austin may or may not look

According to Mutyala, Austin will not be advancing in the future at this pace. We need to pass legislation to improve infrastructure, get public transportation, and use the revenue generated from festivals properly. However, Mutyala admonishes that we have lost the core of Austin and Austinites are not as caring and nice as they used to be. He states that, “We’ve forgotten to care for the people, especially the homeless population, which is one of the highest rates in the country. The citizens of Austin now, treat the homeless populations like garbage. No amount of technology can help a starving person.” Austin is a major hub for technology and will continue to be one in the next few years. The key to the growth of Austin in the future is to attract more technology companies and workers while keeping the culture of Austin. Hopefully the current 12 thousand people that are homeless will find shelter in the next 10 years and more big companies will find their way here to take advantage of our large amount of working engineers. The growth of Austin has been unmatched in the U.S., growing 926,426 people in 2016. We can only hope that Austin will grow to be a bigger city and continuing to grow technologically in the coming years. R

Virtual Reality In Austin By Rohan Gupta

Travel / Adventure

22 people

Entertainment Education

37 people 23

23 people

The popularity of Virtual Reality has been increasing and spreading all over the world. Virtual Reality is a computer generated simulation of a 3 dimensional image or environment which you can interact with. Lately it has made it self known in the unique city of Austin, appearing at game stores, malls and on the street. Through Virtual Reality, you are able to perform many functions, such as gaming, reading, shopping and watching movies, TV shows or videos. Although Virtual Reality systems are quite expensive, some find interest in this new and unique form of technology while others feel the price is simply not worth what they are getting. This survey includes the responses of 48 students at LASA High School about how they use or would use Virtual Reality if they had a system for it. They were allowed to vote for as many uses of VR as they wanted too. Check out what they would use it

Online Shopping

Shopping

Gaming Sports

34 people

13 people

Sources: cliparting.com, pixabay.com, www.qygjxz. com, www.cliparpanda.com www.istockphoto.com

9 people

Local Businesses: Game Stores By Sam Franklin

A Picture of South Congress at night shows the business of Austin’s streets. (commons.wikimedia.org/2017)

ustin, the city full of weirdness, diversity, and creativity, is packed tightly with hundreds of local businesses that appeal to these factors. Two types of local businesses that have experienced a rapid rise in popularity are game and toy stores.

throughout the next few years. Although most game stores are part of larger chains, game stores in Austin are mostly local owned. Toys, another fun hobby that are growing in popularity, are fed through toy stores, and Austin is full of locally owned toy stores. Toy stores are also forecasted to grow in money and in the number of stores worldwide.

“We founded South Congress. We made Austin the weird town that it is.” - Sylvia Edwards

When most people hear the word game, they think of a fun hobby that people do in their free time. But most people don’t know that this fun hobby is now a multibillion dollar industry that brings in millions every week. Game stores are forecasted to grow double what their numbers are now,

According to Robby Pettinato, an employee at a local business, Toy Joy: “Austin has a several decades-long history of supporting local businesses. While many cities around the U.S. mostly only embrace big-box retailers, Austin collectively

has a mindset to support local businesses as much as possible, which is completely why we’ve been so successful. Even with Austin’s massive growth, there’s still a very large campaign from all of the businesses, residents and the city in general to support locals.” Local businesses are a prominent part of what makes Austin such a great place to live in, but it is a challenge for local businesses to compete with the bigger chains. Different businesses use different tactics to make their businesses stand out over the larger chains, like teaming up with local radio stations or theaters to help advertise new and old products. By advertising at local centers and events, it helps create a personal connection between the customers and the companies. Although there are many physical stores

A Picture of a few popular magazines. (Sam Franklin/2017)

stores are a real challenge to compete with. Online games are taking a toll on local game stores in Austin and around

the country. Many game stores that have permanently closed their doors, have done so partially because of these online stores running them out of business. In order to compete with these large online markets, local businesses have had to come up with creative ways to make steady profits. Randy Lander, the owner of a local game store, Rogues Gallery, said that, “Product knowledge and recommendations are the best way for our business to compete with the online game stores.”

technology will impact all of these small, local businesses in the years to come. Sylvia Edwards, the owner and daughter of the founders of Terra Toys, explains, “In the future, technology will probably force us to do a little more online marketing, but we really like to sell handmade toys not found online but in stores. The Internet is like a swinging pendulum. What’s fun is waking up on a Saturday morning and taking your kid to a fun toy store where they can play and interact with the toys, instead of going straight to the computer like on any regular day.”

“Austin collectively has a mindset to support local businesses as much as possible, which is completely why we’ve been so successful.” -Robby Pettinato

Although local businesses are competing with online stores now, eventually they will have to start making some technological changes to better compete with these online stores. Companies will be forced to do more online marketing. Many local businesses are not on board with these new changes to the market, but

Local business have many hurdles in making their business a success including:

A Picture Rogues Gallery, a profitable game store located in Austin, Texas. (Sam Franklin/2017)

shopwear, rent prices, property taxes, and staffing. Many businesses have been unable to keep up with growing property taxes and rent prices, so they have had to close shop. As Lander explains:”inventory is definitely a huge hurdle in our business. It’s a challenge trying to get in all our inventory in on time, so that everything is stocked at all times.” Local businesses are not as easy to run as they seem to be before and after they are made. Starting up a company is the hardest part in making a business. Although local businesses do have many hurdles in making and in functioning properly, there are never enough local businesses in this great city. These local businesses make Austin the lively, creative diverse place that it is. One of the biggest hotspots in Austin, for local businesses, is South Congress. Before Terra Toys moved to Northern Austin, they had a rich history on South Congress. Edwards said, “We founded South Congress, we made Austin the weird town that it is.” Thirty years ago, Now there are locally owned businesses circulated all over Austin.

A picture of a rubix cube, a fun toy poplular in the 20th century. (www.youcandothecube.com/2017)

Because of the large amount of local businesses in Austin, they need excellent employees, but these local businesses don’t hire just anyone on the street. Just like major chains locally owned stores are always looking for the best. Edwards said, “We look for enthusiasm, reliability, happiness, commonsense and constancy in our employees.” In most businesses and stores, responsibility is the most common thing that companies are looking for in an incoming employee. Game stores are a historic, charming, and touristy part of Austin that is growing in popularity. Due to Austin’s diverse and unique population, locally owned businesses have the perfect place to make their mark. Games and toys have truly showed to the rest of the world that they meen business, and they are ready to take what is rightfully theirs. R

A Picture of a Space Alert, a popular board game in the U.S. taken in Austin, Texas. (Sam Franklin/2017)

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