“Early to bed and early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise” - Ben Franklin

“Put no trust in the benefits to accrue from early rising, as set forth by the infatuated Franklin…” - Mark Twain

“Early to rise, early to bed, makes a man healthy but socially dead.” - Cenobite

I recently ran across the post “10 Benefits of Rising Early, and How to Do it” from the Zen Habits blog on Digg. The article has some great reasons as why to shift your schedule and become an early riser but I thought, as a person that consistently goes to bed anywhere from 4-6am, that I would respond with the 10 benefits of Staying Up late, and How to Do it.

This list is also dependent on a few other factors. I am fortunate to have an alternate work schedule that allows me to get to work later. So you need a job that doesn’t require the 9 to 5.

*This is not a slam on the Zen Habits post just an alternative spin on it, I really appreciated his thoughts and think his ideas are valuable.*

The Benefits

1.) Greet the day…then go to bed.

After a late night and the sky turns from the midnight black to the clear morning blue I know that bed time looms. I love walking out my back door to stretch and feel the crisp air and give thanks that I am healthy, have a great job and wish happiness for others. Then I go to bed with that peace of mind.

2.) Amazing End

The transition of the night sky that I mentioned above is a very awesome thing to experience. I agree that sunrises are truly epic but I think the transition from night to day is equally as spectacular and is a great way to get into a peaceful mindset before bed that will aide in a restful sleep.

3.) Quietude

No one is around because they have all gone to bed so that they can get up early the next day. I can ride my bike with minimal traffic and it’s typically quiet outside so I can work on my computer in peace.

4.) Video Games

Night is a very unique time for video games. I think it goes hand in hand with quietude. All the casual, novelty gamers have gone to sleep and my friends and I can get down to business with a 99 kill game of Red Steel or a time blurring session of Counter Strike or 4 chapters in Super Paper Mario or fill in the blank with your favorite game. Gaming is good anytime but I think any other gamer can attest to the fact there is something about gaming that goes hand in hand with the night.

5.) Breakfast

Breakfast is good anytime, just ask IHOP. I eat breakfast everyday at noon. I roll out of bed and hit a bowl of Wheaties with my bed-head in full effect as I wait for the shower to heat up.

6.) Exercise

I have a very dedicated workout routine that I do every night. I usually do it anywhere between 10 PM and 2 AM. I get on my road bike and ride at a fast pace for 10 miles then do push ups and an ab routine. The night is much better to ride my bike because there is hardly any traffic, like I mentioned earlier, and it is much cooler outside so it easier to sustain a faster pace and work your muscles harder. In addition, you work off any calories that you took in from dinner, which is good because it is hard on your body to process food in your sleep.

7.) Productivity

Zen Habits noted that this is a personal thing, and for me my most productive time is from 10 PM to 2 AM, my work out fits in to give me a break from the computer and give my brain some energy.

8.) Goal Time

I really like this part of the Zen Habits post. Goals totally rock. Without goals you could meander through life without a clue. Goals give a necessary structure and a purpose to things. I like to think about my goals the night before so when the next day come I hit the ground running already fresh and knowing what I need to do.

9.) Commute

This one is totally dependent on your work schedule. Since I can go into work later I can leave later. I go in at noon and leave at 9 PM. I never hit traffic.

10.) Nachos

This last benefit is pretty subjective as is most of these benefits but I feel that there is an inexplainable phenomenon that makes a double layer full plate of nachos taste extremely over-the-top delicious once the sun goes down. Whether they are cooked in the microwave or the oven something about the lack of sun puts supernatural flavor in every chip/cheese/salsa bite.

The How

Staying up late is easily achieved in one step. The key is to be aware of the time in the evening or early night when you get tired and start to feel sleep creeping in. Instead of indulging your body in its natural need for sleep go to 7/11 and get your favorite energy drink or cup of coffee and go home and push through that unwanted sleepy time and on into your second wind. Once that second wind has hit you are on your way to a nocturnal lifestyle. The resulting second wind will keep you up much later, which will make you sleep in much later. Even if you are an early riser you will sleep in and will now have more energy later in the day and you will have officially started your life as a “night crawler”.

I am so pumped about Nintendo’s recent announcements that I decided to put a super huge image that barely doesn’t even come close to showing how enormously pumped I am.

I know not everyone plays video games so I will give some reference to the pic above. Samus is on the left and is starring in the upcoming and recently dated Metroid Prime 3 Corruption. And if you don’t know Mario, well, you suck, and he is in Super Smash Bros. Brawl, which just recently released a new cool website.

Metroid Prime 3 Corruption: August 20th

Metroid Prime 3 Corruption is such an exciting title, first because it is Metroid, and, I think more importantly, is that this game is really going to show the true control that the wiimote can give a gamer. This game is going to validate for people how legit the Wii is and finally make all the haters be quiet and just stick to listening to their Halo 3 edition Zune.

We’re happy to report that it simulates the accuracy of PC first-person shooters almost perfectly, and we found ourselves soaring through levels, zipping around corners, pulling quick turns and zapping down enemies with pinpoint precision within seconds.

- IGN

All I can say is siiiick and watch this Metroid Prime 3 Corruption video:

Super Smash Bros. Brawl

I vividly remember walking home from high school one day my sophomore year and my best friend Ryan Rossman picked up a copy of Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 64 at a used game store. At that moment we had no idea that for the rest of high school and into college that this damn game would take up so much of our time. It is one of the best fighting games ever made and is easily one of the top 5 best multi-player games for a console ever made.

The newest installment is going to be epic. I can’t wait to see how the wiimote/nunchuck combo is going to be utilized. The character list looks as awesome as usual, and the addition of Solid Snake kicks so much ass that I punched someone when I first heard about it. I can’t wait to rock someone in Smash Bros. and not even have them know it because I will have done it so stealthily that I was completely undetectable. This game is a must have for any Wii owner, check out this Super Smash Bros. Brawl video:

Other Highlights

Reggie Fils-Aime probably talked a lot at the recent Nintendo summit, but all I care about is that he confirmed that Mario Galaxy, Smash Bros. Brawl and Zelda: Phantom Hourglass are all coming this year. That pretty much makes me want to uppercut my little brother Timmy.

Mario Strikers Charged

Also in the summer release lineup is Mario Strikers Charged. The Gamecube version of this game was awesome for multi-player arcade like soccer. Since the multi-player was one of the best parts of the game the Wii version is going to be way sweeter because it is going to have online play. I will definitely be schooling the European footballers on worldwide play once this game is released July 30th. Here is a little Mario Strikers Charged video that IGN put out:

Battalion Wars 2

Battalion Wars 2 is going to hit in September. I remember this is one of the first games I saw demoed for the Wii and was really hoping it would come out at launch, but it didn’t. I sort of forgot about it but am excited now that is going to be released relatively soon. Here is a Battalion Wars 2 video that IGN also put out:

Dominic Donovan’s Paper Mario review

Last but definitely not least Dominic Donovan has a video review up for Super Paper Mario on the Wii. Here is Dominic Donovan’s review:

If the review was as convincing for you as it was for me then you should go ahead and pick up a copy of Super Paper Mario for your self:

Update - Check out another tutorial I did at my designer site that is similar to this tutorial but gets different results, Photoshop Tutorial - Beautiful Professional Looking Photos in 5 Steps

This is a formula that I use often to strip the photos that I take of the “home video feel”. I currently only have a 2 mega pixel digital camera and with the 6 steps in this photoshop tutorial I am able to pull a very cool look out of the photos I take even with such a low grade camera.

Step One

I first picked a picture that I felt like using and drop it into photoshop.

The first thing I do is unlock the background layer by double clicking on it then I rename it “source”.

Step Two

The next step is to duplicate the source image twice and rename those layers as well. If you are new to photoshop an easy way to duplicate layers is to click on the layer and drag it to the new layer icon at the bottom of the layer pallete.

After duplicating the “source” layer twice rename the middle layer “softlight” and the top layer “hardlight”.

Step Three

Now disable the “hardlight” layer and focus on the layer styles drop down.

The layer styles drop down is where everything happens for this simple formula. Click the drop down and select soft light. You will see an immediate change to image once the “softlight” layer style has been changed.

Step Four

Now make the “hardlight” layer visible again by clicking where the eye used to be. Once the “hardlight” layer is visible the changes you previously made will seem to disappear. Don’t worry, they didn’t, they are just being hidden at the moment by the “hardlight” layer.

Step Five

Make sure the “hardlight” layer is selected and go back to the layer style drop down and this time select hard light. Just like in step three you should see an immediate change in your photo.

Step Six

This last step is really up to you. Sometimes the hard light layer style is a bit extreme so I tone it down by reducing it’s opacity. The reduction amount is always different from photo to photo, on this particular one 69% worked nicely for me.

The Final Result

So here is my final result.

Here is a before and after comparison.

I think the results of this simple formula are really cool and allow anyone to enhance the look of their photos no matter what quality of camera they may have. I hope that you enjoyed this tutorial and it provided some help to you creative endeavors.

/* ——- joey ——- */

I have always been curious as to what my last name meant and where it originated. With help from ancestry.com and some other resources I managed to put together a small snap shot of my ancestry.

Dehnert the name is “a reduced form of the personal name Degenhar(d)t”. Then researching Degenhardt I learned that it was “German: from a popular personal name Degenhar(d)t, composed of Old High German degan ‘young warrior’, ‘vassal’ + hart ‘strong’.” I had always known I was from German descent but I didn’t know that the name Dehnert held a cool meaning like that.

Most of the Dehnert’s that immigrated to the U.S. were from Germany with a few exceptions. By 1880 Dehnert families had made it as far west as Missouri. In 1920 there were 2-4 Dehnert families in Montana and those same families are probably the ones that eventually moved to Washington.

I have extended Dehnert family in Washington but have never met them. If I remember correctly my grandfather is from the Washington Dehnert families and eventually made it to California. My dad was the only son in his family and he probably accounts for the only Dehnert family in California.

If any other Dehnert’s come across this page and want to contribute or talk about creating a Dehnert community web site leave a comment with your contact information or email me at joeydehnertblog@gmail.com.

It was a very strange feeling today to learn that Jerry Falwell had died. As a Christian he frustrated me. He had the public spotlight and his words were heard all over the world, and the words that came out of his mouth would be stapled onto the backs of every person that called them self a Christian. For the figure head of a mega church to say such hateful statements that contradict the loving message Jesus gave was appalling and frustrating. But what nearly trumped those feelings was the reaction of the online community to his death, more specifically the Digg community. I love digg.com. I am up to date with the front page stories and contribute through giving meaningful diggs (meaning I check out the post and don’t digg based on title or just because it’s my friend’s submission). Digg is how I found out about Falwell dying. I read the linked article and was thrown into a bit of shock that usually happens when an iconic person dies. I then went back to the digg submission because I was really interested to see what my fellow diggers were saying since he was such a controversial person. Instead of reading intelligent discourse I stumbled upon a wall of hate. Here is a typical quote from one of the hateful diggers:

“Fuck Jerry Falwell, too bad he didn’t die years earlier. Enjoy your time in hell, you racist, homophobic asshole. Hopefully someone runs a train on your corpse.”

emaze

This statement makes no sense to me. Homophobic and racist statements are inherently hateful, and I can understand revolting against hate, but to revolt against hate with hate is absurd. I am in no way trying to vouch for the stuff Jerry Falwell said but now I feel like I am in the same situation with the Digg community and these comments as I was in with the Christian community and Jerry Falwell; I have hateful words that I didn’t say stapled to my back through association. The parts of the Digg community that acted out like this should think before they post so they don’t look like ignorant contradictions.

Hateful Digg comments

To keep with the music theme I feel like it is my duty to continue to spread the word about emusic.com. I have been using eMusic for a while now and started out with their 25 FREE Download trial. I read about eMusic a lot online and became interested because they are one of the first to offer DRM free mp3s. Here is a definition of DRM if you don’t know what the term means. Shortly after getting educated I realized that iTunes was selling me crippled music files and I needed to switch music download providers. I was worried at first about the selection at eMusic but I am now a highest level subscriber, 75 downloads a month, and burn through all of my downloads the day they are available to me. They have a nice catalog of music, and since they have a lot of independent artists I have been introduced to some amazing musicians that I would have never heard of otherwise. Here are some other reasons why eMusic is:

The Internet’s #1 MP3 subscription service with the most subscribers. Its easy to see why:

MP3s offer flexibility and respect. eMusic is the only major digital music service to deliver music in MP3 format, the most popular and versatile digital file format. Plus, eMusic affiliates can give away 25 FREE MP3s, with no obligation!
Flexible: eMusic is the only service that offers the usage flexibility that music fans demand:

• Transfer your music to any desktop
• Works with all portable music players and digital devices (including the iPod)
• Unlimited CD burning
• Download your music to multiple computers

Value: eMusic’s subscription model offers customers the best value

• Best promotional offer out there: Any customer can get 25 FREE MP3s! That’s $25 worth of music just for trying eMusic out.
• Customers can cancel at anytime and keep the music they have downloaded
• Best per track cost after the free trial: eMusic’s subscription model offers tracks as low as 22 cents each!

Discovery: eMusic is different from the other major music retailers

• eMusic is a customer driven service that allows and encourages music discovery
• eMusic offers a huge catalogue of over 1,000,000 songs
• eMusicLive, a feature of eMusic, showcases the largest collection of independent live music recording performances nightly from some of the best independent live music venues in the USA.

I highly recommend you at least do the trial. It is super easy to sign up and quit if you don’t like it, which I don’t think will happen. I hope you likey, support musicians, don’t steal music.

Lately I have been on an electronic music binge. I have downloaded every online mix dieselboy has to offer on his site, I have been streaming etn.fm constantly at home (I can’t connect at work for some reason hence the dieselboy downloads), and recently I stumbled upon a deep house DJ from San Diego, DJ Misha.

Deep house is hard for me to define so I reluctantly turn to Wikipedia:

Deep house is a style of house music. It is loosely defined by the following characteristics that distinguish it from most other forms of house music:

• relatively slow tempo (110–128 bpm);
• de-emphasized percussion, including:

• simple yet syncopated drum machine programming;
• gentle transitions and fewer “build-ups”;
• less “thumpy” bass drum sound;
• less pronounced hi-hats on the off-beat;

• sustained augmented/diminished key chords or other tonal elements that span multiple bars;
• increased use of reverb, delay, and filter effects;
• frequently, the use of vocals.

Deep house music is often synonymous with lounge music and popular compilations such as Bargrooves, Hotel Costes, Deep Concentration, Café del Mar and Lost On Arrival have blurred the two genres with influences of ambient or electro-downtempo music.

DJ Misha has two mixes on his site together totaling 2 hrs of music. If you have never checked out deep house then you should.

Apparently I have been refreshed as far as participating on the internets. I was horribly tired of the look of my blog and was put off from touching it. I started my own design but wasn’t finding the time to put real effort into it so I headed over to Smashing Magazine and found one of their WordPress theme lists. This is the Skittlish theme and I think it kicks major ass.

I set my little brother up with a blog recently over at timmydehnert.com. It is totally rad to see him learn new technology at such a young age. He will be hacking your mainframes soon.

Ryan Rossman, Nick Scheri and I filmed an epic short film recently called Dead Land (sorry, no link yet). We are in post-production right now but it is going to be one of the best cop dramas you will have ever seen.

Dominic Donovan is still going strong and if you haven’t watched any of the Double D lately you should, here is the most recent video:

So…I guess that’s sort of it for the time being. I am revamping the content that I am going to be posting so a bunch of old posts could be disappearing soon and show up again later or never show up again. Bye.

/* ———- joey ———- */