During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, Taylor Shead was given a difficult mission: turn learning into a video game. Shead, the founder and CEO of the local tech startup STEMuli, did just that. What she and her team created is something they're calling an educational metaverse. In a virtual world built for learning, students can create their own avatars and sit in simulated classrooms with teachers and friends. After classroom instruction, students are let out into the educational metaverse to perform tasks that will help them learn. The company also implemented artificial intelligence into its world. Now, the platform will learn what local students are struggling in and offer them educational tasks accordingly. STEMuli is used in Dallas and Garland independent school districts and recently won an international award for its use of AI. Big things are happening for this little tech startup.

Dallasites of all ages are probably familiar with the vinyl stylings of Mark Ridlen, aka DJ Mr. Rid. Under his DJ Deluxe umbrella, Dallas' longtime music master has been part of the city's club scene for decades, from his start at the Starck Club to his early "Scaraoke" parties to current gigs for the likes of the Texas Theatre and Modern Luxury magazine. He's always sure to bring out the deep cuts, alone or in tandem with his occasional spinmaster sidekick, supermodel Chandra North. The recent Starck Club reunion event at the Kessler was just the latest in a long line of culturally influential moments driven by Mr. Rid's passion for the music he's happy to share — uptown and down.

TikToker Sarah Barthel relocated from Minneapolis to Dallas in late 2022. Since then, Barthel has been giving Dallasites a fresh look at their stomping grounds. Barthel's TikTok transforms the transplant into our virtual bestie. Social media users get a glimpse at her hauls, day in the life, do-it-yourself beauty hacks and travel content, but our favorite is her Dallas content. Barthel is the go-to unobnoxious influencer who tries out the best wellness, self-care, eating and drinking spots in Dallas. She provides lifelong Dallasites the opportunity to remember oldies but goodies and see if the latest fad is worth our time and dime.

The most important thing in the fetish scene is community. After all, what is a fetish without a like-minded soul to share it with? Enter Fetish Ball. See the best outfits in latex, burlesque, rubber, you name it. Step up to the Wheel-of-Pain, take your chances with "Mistress Choice" and take your punishment. We know you'll love it. Nov. 15–17.

With popular shows Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights, the Rose Room offers the best weekly drag show in Dallas in one of the largest drag venues around with a cast of premiere Dallas drag talent, including our fave, the legendary Cassie Nova. If you're in Dallas and looking for top-tier drag, the Rose Room is a mandatory stop on the list.

Drag is multifaceted. Sometimes it's high glamor, showcasing elegant lip syncs and talented dancers. Other times, like in The Plan B Showcase, the girls kill you with laugh-out-loud comedy, illusions, themes and visual gags. The rotating cast keeps things fresh, and weekly themes make the jokes super-specific and relatable. If you're out on a Wednesday night, The Plan B Showcase is the place to go for fresh comedy.

For those of us who love cars, what's cooler than a lowrider? Someone takes an otherwise unimpressive car, slaps on fresh paint, a clean interior and a lowered suspension, and creates a new, beautiful project. We love to watch 'em cruise, and on some Saturday nights you can take a little trip and see them rolling up and down the 200 block of Jefferson Boulevard by The Texas Theater. It's a great place to catch rolling works of art and see someone's passion project.

After a fun but rocky debut in Fair Park, Dallas' newest rap festival showed off the best talent in the rap game and flexed Dallas' muscles as a music destination. Gucci Mane, Three 6 Mafia, Dru Hill and Key Glock showed up and showed out, despite the Dallas heat that caused equipment malfunctions. The show must go on, and we look forward to a bigger and better TwoGether Land in the coming years.

Dallas has a variety of Seoul-crushing Korean shops and eateries to indulge your wildest K-pop dreams, but 9 Rabbits Bakery has our vote for best Korean coffee shop. The Koreatown bakery, run by Grace Koo, also makes endearingly cute specialty cakes and offers a variety of teas, smoothies and aesthetic desserts that'll transport you to the cherry-blossomed bridges of Busan. The best part is the shop's rabbit-themed decor — filled with charmingly whimsical bunnies — that make it feel as if you've stepped into an Easter fantasy with Korean subtitles. This place will impress kids or your date. Hop to it and try the banana bread.

When The Grapevine moved from its longtime Oak Lawn location to a new space in the Medical District last year, patrons quickly learned to love the place for what it is now. The dive bar is still as delightfully sexually ambiguous as Harry Styles (Is it a gay bar? A straight bar? The owners say it's both, so yeah, it's a bisexual bar) and has kept its best feature: the patio. The new location is much larger and still has a rowdy, large outdoor space, but it also has an indoors-ish courtyard patio where you can have the freedom to smoke without the punishment of the heat — because your body has been punished enough through smoking. We're also happy to say that the foosball, pool tables and strangers-to-make-out-with are all still there.