I've always been obsessed with the 1986 classic movie Ferris Bueller's Day Off. If you haven't seen it, I highly recommend. For years, I've tried to pinpoint if it's the iconic parade scene, Ferris' one-liners, or the '80s flair that still makes it so intriguing. 

More how-tos

• How to set up and use Meta's Threads as a Windows 11 desktop app
• 3 essential Windows tools for troubleshooting (and how to use them)
• How to use iOS 17's 'Live Voicemail' transcriptions, and which iPhones support it
• Bing Chat now has the highly-requested dark mode. Here's how to turn it on

But I finally figured it out: It's the lack of smartphones. Ferris and his fellow ditch-day accomplices spend their whole day in the moment as opposed to scrolling through it.

Ferris even says, "Life moves pretty fast, and if you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it." 

These days, we're all missing it