On April 8, a total eclipse of the sun will be visible from parts of Mexico, Canada, and the U.S. -- including Buffalo, which is expected to have a 4 ½ minute blackout, when the temperature will drop and birds will get confused. Here in the mid-Hudson, expect only a partial eclipse.

NASA has a site exclusively devoted to the event. and you might be interested in learning more from a scientific point of view, including crucial instructions for safety should you choose to look. Don’t damage your eyes: Safety glasses are essential. https://science.nasa.gov/eclipses/safety. You can also livestream the eclipse and hear commentary here: https://science.nasa.gov/eclipses/future-eclipses/eclipse-2024/live/.

“An eclipse is an awe-inspiring celestial event that drastically changes the appearance of the two biggest objects we see in our sky: our sun and moon. On Earth, people can experience solar and lunar eclipses when Earth, the moon, and the sun line up. “ https://science.nasa.gov/eclipses.

I decided to experience the eclipse in 2017. I fumbled trying to build a simple cardboard box to view it and protect my eyes. Fortunately, a friend gave me a pair of special protective glasses (available on Amazon and elsewhere), and I witnessed this majestic event for a few seconds – it was indescribable and incredibly humbling. I only gazed for a few seconds, as I was still nervous about damage to my eyes. That was enough.

I get why many ancient cultures worshipped the sun. The power!

I was reminded that great, largely unseen forces have a direct effect on our world. We tend to forget this truth, running around as we do with our everyday concerns.

Civilizations have been tracking and attempting to predict eclipses since ancient times. The Mayans were very good at astronomy, the Chinese were trying as early as 2137 BCE. Herodotus, the Greek historian, reported that in 585 BCE, the philosopher Thales of Miletus accurately predicted what is now known as the Eclipse of Thales.

And then there are the astrologers.

From ancient times, solar eclipses have been associated with bad omens and were feared and dreaded. Astrologers may not say whether this eclipse will bring good or bad news to us individually and collectively; but astrological analysts agree that the one on April 8 will bring surprises, unpredictable events, over-turnings, new challenges and realizations. It might not all occur on that one day, but April promises to be quite “exciting” and a precursor of all the transformative events of the next decades.

This is no surprise to anyone even paying minimal attention. We don’t need eclipses or astrology to tell us of the arrival of an unfamiliar age, with new rules, advances and perils.

AI has arrived. It’s already in my Inbox. And I am using it. At the level of my use –research, searching images – it is time-saving and helpful. But we all know that the “gifts” of AI do not end there. Some very thoughtful people are sounding a very strong alarm.

AI is going to change everything: how we work, how we heal, whether we can believe what we see with our own eyes, whether our every movement and thought will be monitored, and whether critical policy decisions will include human concerns rather than just algorithms.

Clearly, new struggles and gains await us, including how to derive meaning in a machine-driven age. There is reason for hope and reason for fear. And we haven’t even talked about the other significant challenges, such as intensifying climate change and increased nuclear threat.

So hold on to your hat, keep a clear head, and watch out for deep fakes.