Complexity and Silly Predictions

I'm trying to avoid the rash of end-of-year retrospectives and New Year's predictions, with only partial success.

Michael Crichton, who has written some good and some bad books, and grandfathered many films, gave this speech, illustrated, about complexity, predictions gone awry, and feckless meddling in complex systems, such as Yellowstone Park. He has struck a rich vein of human stupidity.

Among other things, YASPE ("Yet Another Skewering of Paul Ehrlich").

RTWT: Read the Whole Thing.