Niall's Weblog

Man this log is way overdue. I’ve been super busy since leaving my job at Metaweb, taking a short break, and starting up at Snaptic. While I was on my break between jobs, I got a few days of awesome, tough hiking in at Henry Coe State Park and some solid training too. I’m about [...]

I’ve signed up as an athlete in the CrossFit Games 2010 Sectionals NorCal. I’d consider myself an intermediate level CrossFitter at this point – able to complete all the WODs in a reasonable time – but certainly nothing compared to the guys at the top. Why I’m doing the Sectionals Great Team Mostly, I’m going [...]

I’ve always been under the impression that there was an important distinction between the “natural flavours” and “artificial flavours” listed on food ingredients. After having read this food science article (adapted from Fast Food Nation) Why McDonald’s Fries Taste So Good, I realise the difference is essentially meaningless: Natural flavors and artificial flavors sometimes contain [...]

Although I enjoyed both the taste and ritual aspect of coffee, around six weeks ago I decided I was too dependent and that it was having a negative effect on me. Specifically, I felt like it was sapping my energy and leaving me with a kind of brain fog around mid afternoon that nothing could [...]

I can’t take credit for this one. No, I’m merely acting as a conduit for a recipe created by my lovely girlfriend, Feifei, who has cooked this wonderful dish on a number of occasions. She kindly agreed to tell me the secret components of this steak marinade, and I’m naming it after her. Steak a [...]