Ferris Bueller's Day Off was June 5, 1985

Ever wondered exactly what day Ferris Bueller took off? This article points out the exact date by using baseball records. The game used in the film was played from 1:25pm to about 4:34pm on June 5th, 1985, giving Bueller and his friends plenty of time to get to Wrigley Field after lunch to catch that foul ball.

I've read that the parade scene has been used to place his day off in the fall of the year, which would contradict an early June time. The parade, which was fairly nondescript, has been widely recognized as the Von Stuben Day parade, a parade held in September. The logical solution to this seemingly glaring lack of continuity is that the parade was an impromptu effort to promote the 'Save Ferris!' charity... and everybody, including the Von Stuben folks, pitched in. Obviously.

Also, if you were wondering, the Cubs lost to the Braves in 11 innings, 2-4.

Weekend and Ruminations

I've been at the new job for over a month, now. It's good. Being so close to home is awesome. There's always something new to learn, or to figure out. I'm happy.

Got the yard cut this weekend. My bush hog deck is broken, but I worked around it. It will need to be welded, soon, though. It should probably be welded before I cut with it again.

I saw a hawk fly down and catch a field mouse while I was cutting grass. There were some smaller birds attacking the hawk. I don't know if they made the hawk release the mouse or not.

One of my neighbors also attacked something in my driveway while I was cutting. He beat it out of a tree. I was kind of a little surprised that he came into my yard to do it. I never figured out what he was beating on.

We went to the Bass Pro Shop this weekend, for the first time. That place is ridiculously large. The entrance is a winding drive. It has a parking lot that would rival Six Flags or Disneyland. I can't figure out how they justify that kind of expense. It's not like the place is on some sort of hunting reserve, or even on a lake or river. It's off the highway in Prattville. The building is right beside McDonald's, but you have to go down the winding driveway to get to it.

Amy wanted to see District 9, so we went the the movies while we were in Prattville. I was a little disappointed with it. I expected it to have some sort of double meaning, but I really didn't see one, unless it was some sort of racial thing.

I got a little of the melancholy, last week. I don't know why. Maybe it was all the kids going back to school. Something about being in town when school started back up made me feel a little nostalgic. It has been a long time since I was in school, but it seems like it could've been last week. Not that I miss school, and all the politics and trouble that went with it, it's just that time is merciless.

I have owned my house almost 10 years. I started the paperwork to buy it in October of 1999. It's so strange to think that 10 years have already passed. At the same time, it feels like most of my life has been lived in the last 10 years.

I've travelled internationally, had more relationships (including the longest relationship of my life); I've owned more vehicles and just generally done more than I did in my first 25 years. I guess I'm pretty lucky.

Hacking the Vote

This documentary exposes some of the vote manipulation in elections:



"Those who cast the votes decide nothing. Those who count the votes decide everything."
-Joseph Stalin

In any competition where one side loses a close decision, that side tends to cry foul. The winning side, of course, denies any wrongdoing even if they know there may have been an unfair advantage. In 2000 and 2004, obvious irregularities occurred with the recording of votes in the Presidential election.

I voted for George Bush in 2000 and dismissed these irregularities as sour grapes by the liberals. We didn't raise the alarm because the error was in our favor, and our side won. What we didn't realize is that EVERYONE lost because NO ONE knows if their vote was even counted. It's as though the left-right fascade being blown up our noses by the corporate 'journalists' has blinded us to the fact that our votes no longer count.

In Dallas County, where I vote, we use the optical scan method. At 40 minutes into this video, John Kerry concedes the 2004 election even though obvious optical scan manipulation had occurred. In the past few elections, I've voted for a few independent or 3rd party candidates. The Secretary of State's website 'certified' count always indicates that my vote must've been one of very few cast for 3rd parties and independents. Yet, when I ask around, I find dozens who voted for someone other than the 2 party system. I can't help but wonder how many of my votes were uncounted or changed.

Why did Kerry concede in 2004? At the time, I didn't care. Although I voted for Michael Badnarik, I still felt Bush was a better choice than Kerry due to the fact that I've always been Republican and a conservative. My team didn't win, but at least the team I didn't like lost. That was the extent of my logic, just as it had been when I voted for Bush in 2000. Although I had no respect for Kerry, I actually thought he had done the right thing by quitting, to avoid another 2000 Gore recount fiasco. Hindsight being 20/20, I now question the motivation for Kerry's concession.

The methods of hacking the vote are so simple a kid could do it. The code changes required could be done by a beginner. After all, we're not talking about a complex program, all we're talking about is counting. Basically, the programs they use are just simple calculators with variable functions. The database that allows direct manipulation of the data is ridiculous!

If they are going to manipulate the election, anyway, why vote? Because YOUR VOTE COUNTS. Your opinion is what will rule the country. It may not have been counted in the past, but, with enough people getting angry, this trend will come to an end.

Lights, Camera, AKTIONISTS!

If you're into weird, sick movies, check out the Vienna Aktionists. The 1960s were a messed up time.