Look around and you’ll likely see the many ways that you are plugged in, from smartphones and watches to tablets and doorbell cams. We’ve become a society dependent on tech, digitizing everything that used to require a human interface and a hard copy. Now we upload things to clouds that store information like some nebulous data bank in the ether. We can’t survive when the internet goes down because life screeches to a halt, forcing us into a state of suspended animation as we wait for all our systems to reboot or go back online.

 

But with complications come innovations; the ways our lives are streamlined and simplified, the advantages we are given through knowledge at our fingertips, and the benefits we gain from the absolute connectedness of the world. From banking to breast health, technology has its fingers in everything, and here in Alexandria, we have some tech titans and innovators walking in our midst. This issue is all about celebrating the ways that our community is tied into tech and exploring the innovations that our free thinkers have a hand in bringing to life. 

 

Fortunately for us, innovation has also rebirthed the old school, and print is seeing a resurgence in popularity. So hold this issue in your hands, turn the pages and feel the way it has some special quality that a screen can never capture. There’s an undeniable appeal to the tactile sensation of holding something physical, and we love the fact that readers like you are bringing print back into vogue. Read on and keep up the good work!

 

As we explore local innovations, join us in sampling the many new restaurants in the ALX area. For whatever you’re craving, there’s something sure to satisfy, and we’ve got your list of great hotspots to try.

 

As always, we here at the VIP Alexandria family thank you for your support in making us who we are. Thank you for your readership and the love that you’ve shown us since our very first issue. This magazine is the result of daring to dream, so we encourage you to do that as well. Think on, dream on… innovate. You are making the world a better place.

 

Love to you all!

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Kellie Gunderman

Publisher