“Any patch of sunlight in a wood will show you something about the sun which you could never get from reading books on astronomy. These pure and spontaneous pleasures are ‘patches of Godlight’ in the woods of our experience.”
-C.S. Lewis
From where I sit as I write this, around three o’clock this afternoon, on the day many celebrate the birth of the Buddha, I will be standing in the moon’s shadow. Only the southern half of the municipality where I live lies in the path of totality, making it one of the few cities where some will experience the total eclipse and some will not.
You might have noticed I did an Instagram Live last week, with my friend Ed Tilton. We discussed a topic I’ve heard a lot of people comment on lately - dominance and submission in relationships. It lasts about 20 minutes. You can watch it here.
Later that day, I began toying with an AI application. It edited the video down to 22 short clips, with transcripts. It wrote titles and captions for them all, including hashtags. This all happened in a few minutes, at no charge.
Over the weekend, I experimented with ChatGPT, using it to do some of the work that I find especially tedious. I gave it quotes from my written work, and asked it to write captions for Instagram posts of the same. I entered partial transcripts from past podcast episodes, and asked it to write descriptions for each particular episode.
I found this very helpful. It also freaked me out a bit.
What is the path of totality, I asked Chat GPT this morning. Here’s what I got.
The "path of totality" refers to the track or path on the Earth's surface where a total solar eclipse can be observed. During a total solar eclipse, the Moon passes directly between the Earth and the Sun, blocking out the Sun's light and casting a shadow on the Earth.
The path of totality is a relatively narrow strip on the Earth's surface where the Moon's shadow, known as the umbra, touches the Earth. Within this path, observers can witness a total eclipse, where the Sun is completely covered by the Moon, revealing the Sun's corona (outer atmosphere) and causing a temporary darkness during the day.
Outside of the path of totality, observers experience a partial eclipse, where only part of the Sun is covered by the Moon. The path of totality is typically around 50 to 100 miles wide (80 to 160 kilometers), and its location and width depend on the relative distances and sizes of the Sun, Moon, and Earth during the eclipse.
The path of totality is significant for astronomers and eclipse enthusiasts because it offers the best view of the total solar eclipse. Those within this path experience the full effects of the eclipse's dramatic and awe-inspiring display, including the sudden darkness, the appearance of the solar corona, and other unique phenomena associated with a total solar eclipse.
That was verbose. So, I asked him/her/it to be more concise …
The "path of totality" refers to the track or path on the Earth's surface where a total solar eclipse is visible. It's a narrow strip where the Moon's shadow (umbra) touches the Earth, allowing observers within this path to witness the Sun being completely covered by the Moon. Outside this path, observers see a partial eclipse. The path of totality is typically around 50 to 100 miles wide and its location varies depending on the specific geometry of the Sun, Moon, and Earth during the eclipse.
Once I began to use this tool (Yes. I see it as a tool.) on Saturday, I felt a tinge of insecurity. I immediately noticed that ChatGPT has a much better vocabulary than I do. Or, more precisely, it uses a broader vocabulary than I do in my writing. It’s not as though I didn’t know the words it spit out.
Here’s what that means. Chat GPT doesn’t sound like me. I have my own distinct tone and style that (I hope) AI cannot replicate. I’ll do what I can to prevent that from happening.
Early last week, here on Substack, I was looking through my settings for this publication. I noticed what follows, and toggled the switch to enable this feature …
Block AI training
This setting indicates to AI tools like ChatGPT and Google Bard that their models should not be trained on your published content. This will only apply to AI tools which respect this setting, and blocking training may limit your publication's discoverability in tools and search engines that return AI-generated results. Learn more.
I might continue to use apps like this to do some of the writing and editing that I really don’t like to do. At least for now, I’ll not panic about the rise of technology like this. Instead, I’m going to choose to experience the same type of wonder with ChatGPT that I will when stand in the moon’s shadow, during the eclipse this afternoon.
Glossary of Feelings entry XIV
Wonder (noun)
the rapt attention and deep emotion caused by the sight of something extraordinary
This Week in History
April 7, 1897 – Walter Winchell, American journalist, gossip columnist, radio host, and narrator of The Untouchables, was born in New York.
April 8, 563 BCE – The birthday of the Buddha, Siddhartha Gautama, is commonly celebrated on this day, or on May 26. Born in Lumbini, Shakya Republic, modern-day Nepal.
April 9, 1820 – The famous ancient Greek statue, Venus de Milo was discovered on the Aegean island of Milos.
April 10, 837 CE – Halley’s Comet approached within 0.0334 astronomical units of Earth. In 1768 – John Hancock refused to allow two British customs agents to go below deck of his ship. It is considered by some to be the first act of physical resistance to British authority in the American colonies.
April 11, 1868 – The Shogunate was abolished in Japan.
April 12, 1782 – 1782 Battle at Les Saintes took place. The British fleet, under Admiral George Rodney, defeated the French fleet, under Comte de Grasse, off Dominica in the West Indies, preventing a planned French and Spanish invasion of Jamaica.
April 13, 1925 – American inventor and automotive pioneer Elwood Haynes died in Kokomo, Indiana.
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What I’m Reading
Blood Meridian, by Cormac McCarthy
Theft by Finding: Diaries 1977-2002, by David Sedaris
What I’m Watching
Shogun on Hulu
The Regime on HBO
What I’m Listening To
The Whole Love, Wilco
Baseball: A Film by Ken Burns, Original Soundtrack
Journaling Prompt for the Week #15 of 2024
Whether it was viewing an eclipse, watching meteor shower, witnessing a single falling star, or simply observing the constellations, write about your memories from childhood that inspired a sense of wonder.
Thanks for reading. Have a great week.