Sean Henri

Own your name (Pt. 2)

January 14, 2009 // 2 Comments  // Add yours »

One year ago I wrote about the possibility of having one's online reputation ruined through the poor choices of another person with the same name.  I suggested that in order for people to prevent this, they should register a domain, set up a blog, and get proactive in controlling their online identity.

A few people, including my friend Mike, took that advice and registered a domain.  I'm sure he's now glad he did because just the other night a person who had his same name, age, and lived in the same state was arrested on drug charges.

With his name broadcasted all over the news Mike quickly wrote a post on his blog titled "I DID NOT GET ARRESTED LAST NIGHT".  If Mike didn't take steps to control his online identity his reputation could have been permanently damaged.  But because he did, he was able to quickly clear things up via his blog and now if anyone were to Google his name they'd quickly find out the truth. 

Moral of the story: start blogging or people may erroneously believe you're a drug dealer.

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The pub and the dollar bill

January 12, 2009 // 1 Comments  // Add yours »

Some have described it as the "world's most expensive wallpaper".  Visit nearly any pub in the United States and you'll find probably find some sort of currency pinned to the walls.  An extreme example of this is the No Name Pub in Florida, where you'll find over 750,000 dollar bills coating the walls and ceiling.

I first came across the bills on the wall while visiting Dublin in 2006 and I've been wondering about it ever since.  Is it a "good luck" sort of thing? Or just a cool (and highly flammable) concept that started without any meaningful reason?   Anyone know?

Posted in:  Food and Drink, Thoughts & Ideas | Permalink |  Digg This | Share on Facebook | Comments (1)

One photo a day in 2009

January 02, 2009 // 6 Comments  // Add yours »

Few things tell a story better than a picture, so I'm aiming to post at least one photo a day for 2009.  Some will have words to go along with them, and some won't.  Here's one to get started:

Posted in:  A Day In The Life, Photos, Thoughts & Ideas | Permalink |  Digg This | Share on Facebook | Comments (6)

Cool people leg wrestle

January 02, 2009 // 1 Comments  // Add yours »

Leg Wrestling is the sport of champions. I first learned how to play as a kid when I was a cub scout in Pack 3 and I've been playing ever since.  These days it's become a regular thing for my friends and I to do at parties.  If you're not quite sure how to play, watch this 1975 game show demonstration with Gene Rayburn.

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A few ways I've improved my commute

August 26, 2008 // 2 Comments  // Add yours »

Two weeks ago I asked for some tips on how to cope with the commute to work.  I received some really great advice, some of which I decided I'd try.  Here's what worked and what didn't:

• Avoid highways; take local roads - I took a look at Google Maps and decided I'd take the only alternate route I could.   I love it.   About half of the route is hilly and tree covered with very little traffic and only a few stops.  Once I approach the city things get a bit worse, but even that stretch of the new route is better than the old.  I now pass a post office, a park, two Dunkin Donuts, several delis & cafes, as well as my bank - none of which I passed on my old route.   It's a slightly longer distance but without all the traffic it takes just as long to get to work.  Great choice... and probably the best advice given to me.
• Listen to podcasts or audiobooks - This might be good advice for some, but not for me.  I already suffer from information overload.  I have 4 email accounts linked up to my iPhone, RSS feeds to read on Google Reader, Twitter, 2 phone lines.. I need my driving time to be a time to turn off my brain and relax.
• Have an alternate route in case of traffic - Great advice.  Fortunately I know the roads in my area very well, so I always know a few quick detours in case of severe traffic.
• Listen to Classical Music - I tried it, and it can work, but not always.  Classical music is something I that I do enjoy, but have to be in the mood for it.   I find that listening to music I enjoy is relaxing no matter what the genre.
• Jelly Bellies - Delicious.
• Ride the Bus - This is the one tip I haven't tried yet, but will.  I think taking the bus one or two days a week could be interesting.
• Leave earlier - I've begun waking up an hour earlier, around 630 AM.  This leaves me time to cook breakfast, go for a walk or a run, bike, pay bills, do some reading or even go out for coffee if I want to.  With the extra time I've allowed myself I've found that I'm usually able to leave for work about ten minutes earlier every day.. making run-ins with traffic less of a hassle. 

Overall, with all the minor changes I've made I'm feeling much better about my drive to and from work.  It's still not perfect, but a huge improvement.  If you have any other great advice about improving the commute, please share.

Posted in:  Thoughts & Ideas, Work Life | Permalink |  Digg This | Share on Facebook | Comments (2)

Coping with the commute

August 11, 2008 // 18 Comments  // Add yours »

There's only a few people I know who enjoy their commute.  My friend Steph is one of them.  From my understanding, she gets to cruise through scenic country roads on her way to work.  I'd imagine I might enjoy that as well.  For most of us, the commute involves sitting in traffic with a bunch of  miserable drivers on some major highway like I-95 and dodging street repairs and building construction. It can get depressing.

My commute starts off okay.  I usually get to cruise past the traffic in the Naugatuck Valley and then along most of RT 34.  By the time I get to downtown New Haven it all changes and the quality of my drive plummets.  Some jerk might cut me off, the road could be backed up due to construction, or a pedestrian will dart in front of traffic and nearly cause an accident.  Typical events like these could easily set a bad tone for the day.

There's a few ways I stay positive during the drive into work:

• Music (lately it's been The Beatles, Vampire Weekend, or Franz Ferdinand... played loudly)
• Coffee
• Fresh Air (always drive with the windows down)

Still, once I get downtown, my mood can easily change for the worse no matter what I do to prevent it.  And then I think about how it's quite possible that I could be doing this for decades to come.  Some days I wish I could ditch the car and walk to work, or at least take alternate routes. Unfortunately, it just isn't possible for the time being.  Any tips from my fellow commuters on how to improve this unfortunate part of the day?

Update: Some responses I received from my twitter followers below the cut:

Continue reading "Coping with the commute"

Posted in:  New Haven, Thoughts & Ideas, Videos | Permalink |  Digg This | Share on Facebook | Comments (18)

So many ideas

March 25, 2008 // 2 Comments  // Add yours »

On top of the previously mentioned idea that I have about a Connecticut related blog, two other projects you may see coming shortly are a photo blog (something I've played around with in the past), and a blog focusing on music /The Beatles.  More details to come.

Speaking of photos.. I've been experimenting with some over-saturation on the colors in some shots.  I'm trying to give them somewhat of a vintage feel.  A friend recently commented that it makes the photo almost look like a painting.  Below are two that I took over the weekend.  Any thoughts? 

Posted in:  Blogging, Derby, CT, New Haven, Photos, Thoughts & Ideas | Permalink |  Digg This | Share on Facebook | Comments (2)

Try something new

March 25, 2008 // 2 Comments  // Add yours »

It's always nice to get out and try something new instead of following the same old routine.   I did a bit of that on Saturday and Sunday.  My friend Mindy and I went into New Haven to check out the Yale Art Gallery.  I was a bit surprised by the amount of famous artworks featured their permanent collection.  I spent years working directly across the street and I never had any clue they were there.  The gallery is free to the public and absolutely  worth your time if you've never been there. 

Aside from the gallery, we met up with our friend Kam for some lunch at the Educated Burgher, drove up to East Rock, and ventured down to the coastline to check out Fort Nathan Hale.

The day's adventures got me thinking.  There are so many things to do around Connecticut that many people my age never seem to think of doing.  I wonder if maybe they simply don't know about them.  I frequently hear complaints that "Connecticut sucks" or have people tell me they can't go out because they're low on money.  Well aside from my lunch and gas, everything I did on Saturday was free.  It doesn't cost a penny to go to a park or the beach.  Museums and galleries rarely charge for admission and if they do it's a few dollars at the most.  There's so many things to do on a weekend aside from just going to a bar every Friday night at 10.

We live in a great state.  It's filled with cultural, historical, and recreational attractions.  Its proximity to New York, Massachussets and Rhode Island make it even better.  There's tons of great places to see and things to do that are all within a day's drive.  So an idea I have is to start up a new blog that focuses on these sort of things.  I have a few co-authors lined up, so it may be something we get going soon.  The blog will feature strictly localized content.  It's just an idea now, but I see this coming together in the near future.  It needs a name.  Any thoughts?

Posted in:  A Day In The Life, Art & Design, Culture, New Haven, Thoughts & Ideas | Permalink |  Digg This | Share on Facebook | Comments (2)

Looking back on 2007

December 29, 2007 // 0 Comments  // Add yours »

At the end of each year many bloggers like to look back and brag about their best blog posts.  Well I'm not going to do that.  But I will point out some of the more interesting things I'll remember from 2007. 

Overall, it was a great year.  I started a new and much more rewarding job, continued my education, developed some incredible friendships, and by years end had accomplished many of the goals I had set for myself twelve months earlier. 

Of course there were hardships, but I feel like the good far outweighed the bad.  The things I'll probably remember most include my trips to Ireland and Oregon, seeing several of my long-time friends get married, the Paul McCartney concert in NYC, being an extra in Indiana Jones 4, my summer hikes, the Jenndy Henri adventures, Hazel's visit, and starting my new job.  There was plenty more of course, but not everything is meant for the world to know.

As for this blog, it's had a fairly successful year.  My traffic went up, my photos were featured in  popular print and web publications, and I was given valuable feedback from all sorts of people including my friends, complete strangers, and the well-known.  Receiving feedback is by far the most rewarding thing a blogger can ask for because it helps them realize that their content is actually reaching the people it's intended to.  Ive learned quite a few lessons from the people who took the time to share their thoughts with me after reading my posts.

To the people that come here for a minute or two each day - thanks for reading, thanks for the feedback, and I hope to have you coming back throughout 2008.

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Own your name

December 16, 2007 // 3 Comments  // Add yours »

Stop for a second and think about how many people on earth might have your exact name.  Where do they live? What do they do for a living?  Are they well known?  Young? Old? Good? Bad? Criminal?

Say your name is Jane Googleydaski and you've just applied for a job.  Your potential employer decides to Google your name, and clicks on the first result that they see.  It turns out theirs another Jane Googleydaski living in the same state as you, and they're a racist bunny rabbit killer.  What's worse is that they own the domain name JaneGoogleydaski.com, and they run a website broadcasting their racist bunny rabbit killing ways. The boss doesn't know that this isn't the good Jane who applied for the job, and there's a good chance her resume has now gone from the candidate pile to the paper shredder.

Unfortunately, since the good Jane Googledaski never though to own her domain name, the bad Jane beat her to it, and now anybody who wants to look her up is going to think she's the racist bunny rabbit killer. 

You can prevent this tragedy from happening to you by going to a domain registrar like GoDaddy or 1and1 and purchasing yourname.com.  It's cheap - between $6.99 and $8.99 a year, and easy to set up.

What do you do from there?  It all depends on what you want to do with your life.  The idea is to market yourself, and to control the first bits of information somebody finds when they search for you.  If you want to become a lawyer, just put up your resume.  If you want to be a professional photographer, display your photography.  If you handyman looking for work, list your abilities and give people a way to contact you.  But if you're really stuck on what you'd put there, don't sweat it.  At least you don't have to worry about another person registering your domain name. You now own it.

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A few early morning thoughts...

December 05, 2007 // 2 Comments  // Add yours »

Didn't have anything worthy of a full post, so here's a collection of what's on my mind this morning, as well as a few links:

• I got absolutely no sleep last night.  The air was too dry, and as a result, I couldn't breath.  Sean needs a humidifier.  Sean is tired.
• I enjoy the the music in the iPhone commercials.  Who writes that stuff?
• New John Lennon music video collection out on iTunes yesterday.  21 videos for 25 bucks.
• Franz Ferdinand should really put something on their website. And maybe release a new album?
• Google Analytics makes my life easier.
• Gmail now has AIM built into its chat feature.  No more annoying AIM client eating up my computers resources.  As a result, life is better.
• Grand Central gives you one phone number that automatically forwards to home, cell, and work number.  Not sure if that's something I'd actually want to do, but it's nice knowing the option is there, and it's free.
• My coffee maker sucks.  So do the Starbucks egg nog lattes.  They may sound good, but they aren't.  Avoid them.
• Days just don't seem long enough anymore.  I wake up, and the next thing I know it's 10 pm.  The time gods should either add more hours, or add an extra day to the week.  8 days a week.
• People should not blog or write anything publicly if they fear being criticized/made fun of. Because it will most certainly happen.

Thus concludes my thoughts of the moment.

Posted in:  Thoughts & Ideas | Permalink |  Digg This | Share on Facebook | Comments (2)

My blogging friends

November 13, 2007 // 9 Comments  // Add yours »

Slowly but surely my wish to have more of my friends start their own websites is coming true.  Over the past few weeks I've seen my friends Mindy, Holly, and Jenn all started their own blogs/websites, and I've got a few more friends working on similar projects.  Seeing what my friends are up to keeps me motivated to move things along on my own, so I'm keeping fingers crossed that they really get into it and keep things active.

As for my own stuff, I think I've gotten past the writers block I've been experiencing the past month or so and expect to start posting far more frequently.  On top of that there is the redesign I have coming for this website, and I've got at least two other collaborative projects in the works that I hope to get started before the end of the year.  More to come on that shortly though.  It's time for me to head to class..

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The buildup

November 04, 2007 // 0 Comments  // Add yours »

Not a heck of a lot's been going on lately.  Just nightly outings with friends, lot's of work around the house, some Halloween stuff (I was Mystery), and a ton of brainstorming. 

Just found a great new social network called Behance.  Their slogan is "Make Ideas Happen".  Perfect.  It's initiation only, but you can get one here.

Posted in:  A Day In The Life, Blogging, Thoughts & Ideas | Permalink |  Digg This | Share on Facebook | Comments (0)

Too Tired.

October 22, 2007 // 1 Comments  // Add yours »

This past week I've been too tired / stressed out / unusually hesitant to post anything new.  So it'll be a short break for now.  Just for a bit longer.

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