Big Bad Wolf

Last night after band practice Jesse and I went to try Big Bad Wolf out for size. Located on Harford Road only about 15 minutes from my house, they were offering a special during the Halloween week: their signature "Big Bad Wolf" sandwich for $5. Advertised as "An enormous sandwich with slow smoked beef brisket, Carolina pulled pork, hickory smoked bacon all topped with your favorite BBQ sauce."

No foolin'.

As we were already aware, this place is tiny. Only 5 seats for the counter service with two picnic tables out front. Our sandwiches were served up quick in to-go containers and we dug right in. It was exactly as advertised. Huge. Meaty. Delicious.

Regretfully, I had mine served with the Kansas City Spicy BBQ sauce. I was going to go with the Carolina vinegar but noticed the word "HOT" was involved so I opted for spicy instead. Still a mistake because apparently "spicy" is interchangeable with "HOT". In hind sight I should have done either the Kansas City Sweet (Jesse's choice) or the Texas style (sweet as well).

Otherwise, the sandwich was fantastic. The bun was perfectly toasted, that is, not too much, not too little. It didn't scrape your mouth when you bit in, but you were aware of the light toasting. The first thing that hit your mouth (besides the hot sauce) was the brisket. It was thick and juicy and definitely stood out the most in the sandwich.

Second was the pulled pork which was loose enough to be light and delicious but held itself together so that it didn't fall out all over the place. If you ate carefully, you could probably keep the whole thing perfectly intact, but that would leave you with no extra treats left over once you're done.

Also, that's no fun.

Lastly was the bacon. I actually hardly noticed the bacon while eating, but even so, I'm a huge fan of thickly sliced bacon. I also have to comment on the skill that was involved, as despite the thick bacon, it was also very tender. Usually when eating thick bacon you pull out a whole strip with a bite. This stuff just let you bite right on through without even noticing. The key is that it was crispy but not so crispy that it was brittle and dry.

I finished everything off with some of their sweet tea (free refills, which I used to my advantage with that hot sauce) which was pretty good. Very sweet. Bordering TOO sweet, but still good. I must also note that the last two times I was at Andy Nelson's BBQ their sweet tea had a bad burnt taste to it. Tsk tsk. I also noticed that Big Bad Wolf's full rack of ribs are a few bucks cheaper than Andy Nelson's. Not competition yet, just a thought.

Overall, I was very satisfied with Big Bad Wolf. I really look forward to eating there again and trying their ribs. I hear good things.

Gene therapy allows the blind to see.

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2009-10/uops-oso102209.php

In short, a single injection of light-sensitive pigments into the eyes of ten people born legally blind (and two with retinal degeneration) has allowed them to see, six of which are now declassified as legally blind.

Simply amazing. This discovery is an amazing advocate for stem cell research, especially for those who are scared of technology. No implants needed!

This is pretty incredible.

This doesn't necessarily have to do with cyborgs, but this is pretty insane regardless.

It's a regular ol' piano that is digitally controlled so when played, it mimics the human voice:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=muCPjK4nGY4

The Tender Rib BBQ

A new BBQ place opened up a few blocks from work and I had lunch there today. I thought I’d share the results in a quick note. It’s called The Tender Rib, so naturally I tried their namesake: 4 ribs, two sides, sweet tea.

I’ll work my way backwards. The sweet tea was very good, not too sweet but not lacking either. My sides were baked beans and potato salad, both of which were excellent. The beans were cooked well in a sweet sauce that was just the right amount of spicy. The potato salad featured potato chunks of just the right size and, thankfully, avoided large pieces of onion or celery.

Seeing that the restaurant was called ‘The Tender Rib’, I had opposing feelings with what to expect. It could work both ways. Either the cook is so confident in his smoking abilities that he names his restaurant to exemplify that, or, they’re trying their best but luring people in with a false promise. Sadly, it’s the latter. It was obvious the pork wasn’t cooked long enough and it was kind of a hassle to get the meat from the bone. To note on the positive, you could tell the pork itself was of good quality and there was ample meat on all three sides of the bone. It was served with a dry rub and the sauce on the side (big plus for following the rules) was a nice balance between sweet and vinegar.

The biggest disappointment of all would have to be the high prices. To compare, a full rack of amazing ribs with two sides, cornbread and a drink at Andy Nelson’s is $21; while a HALF rack of ribs with two sides and a drink (no cornbread) at The Tender Rib will run you $19. Ribs are the exception though, as sandwich combo options are more equal to those I’m used to.

One could assume that this was simply an off day for ribs. This is no excuse as you must cook to impress every day, regardless. I probably won't order the ribs again for quite some time, if ever. For the price, it's not really worth the gamble. But, I will definitely eat here again, instead ordering something a little less demanding, probably the brisket.

Overall, the restaurant staff was friendly and the dining area was just fine. Most importantly, they seem to have a pretty good handle on their food but I would definitely suggest refining their ribs.

p.s. I have no idea why the text is so dark. Oh well.

More cyborgs!!!!

http://www.atomicmpc.com.au/News/154640,augmented-contact-lenses-hit-significant-milestone.aspx

This is incredible. Not technically cyborg-worthy as it does no permanent augmenting to the body, but incredible none-the-less.

The article explains these prototype contact lenses that have integrated circuits and LEDs that are powered wirelessly in order to display digital information RIGHT INTO YOUR FUCKING EYE.

To use the articles example, instead of having to look down at your phone to follow directions, the correct path for you to take can be digitally shown right into your eye, practically like it was right in front of you.

Amazing.