---
title: "Everything That Happened Today, or, The Busy Lives We Lead"
date: 2008-09-03
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> For AI agents: a documentation index is available at https://idratherbewriting.com/llms.txt. Markdown versions of all pages are available by appending .md to any page URL.

# Everything That Happened Today, or, The Busy Lives We Lead

It seems like everything happened today. First, Google [released Chrome](https://www.google.com/chrome), their new browser. It's a bit faster, and I can see a good rationale for Google having a browser, with all their online applications. I've tried Chrome and like it, although it doesn't seem revolutionary -- yet.

Not only did Google release Chrome, they also released a totally original [comic book explaining Chrome](http://blogoscoped.com/google-chrome/). I got through about 5 pages of it. Novel. Not necessarily riveting, but definitely interesting. (The format, I mean.)

Paul Pehrson wrote [an excellent review of Flare 4](http://blog.paulpehrson.com/2008/09/02/madcap-flare-4-preview/), which has been under NDA until now. As with Paul, I too have been beta testing Flare 4 for quite a while. Madcap hasn't announced an exact date for the release, but now that we can start talking about Flare 4, it feels very close.

Coinciding with the release of Flare 4, I'm giving away a free copy of Flare. [See this post](https://idratherbewriting.com/2008/09/03/flare-4-giveway-enter-to-win-a-free-copy-by-commenting-on-this-post/) for details about the contest.

At work someone is [putting in a motocross raceway](http://www.northtemple.com/2007/09/21/the-fmx-prelims-got-moved-to-today-so-i-spent-my-lunch-takin) in a parking lot right outside my window. Completely cool and mind-boggling to see them set it up out of nothing. They will bring in the dirt by the truckloads, I hear.

If all that wasn't enough, today was also my birthday. I'm 33. My dad reminds me that both Jesus and Alexander the Great died at age 33. I asked a few people how old I look. Most guessed 32, one guessed 34. Out of courtesy, most people round down.

My second-grader is sick, and Shannon wrote her controversial [Palin post](http://www.whataboutmomblog.com/2008/09/02/can-a-stay-at-home-mom-be-pro-palin/). I also discovered an amazing new blender shake, involving strawberries, ice, a little sugar, water, and Sierra Mist.

I'm putting together a list of notes for an upcoming podcast with [Heidi Hansen](https://heidilhansen.blogspot.com/) and [Charles Jeter](http://charlesjeter.com/). I've been picking through the articles on [Writer River](http://writerriver.com/) in my attempt to gather newsy, interesting content.

Later in the week I'm interviewing [Sharon Burton](http://madcapsoftware.wordpress.com/) about Flare 4 and all the new software [Madcap](http://madcapsoftware.com/) is releasing.

If that wasn't enough, Shannon also got a new laptop (a red Gateway), which she's using to read an ebook on the couch right now. And we also put an offer on a house in [Eagle Mountain](http://www.scherf.com/images/empic-11gc.jpg), which is about 30 min. south of downtown Salt Lake City.

That's about it. I didn't see my kids hardly at all today because of some other commitments in the evening, one involving boy scouts. Now time for bed.