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In the book, Lauren told her friend she foresaw the burn down of the town. And her friend ask her why she thought things like that. Then Lauren replied, she just wanted to get prepared so that she could survive. Her response reminds me of our discussion on why we predict. I think Lauren very well answered that question, that is we predict in order to get prepared so that we can survive. As Butler mentioned at the beginning of the book, "the only lasting truth is change", the inevitable change creates a sense of uncertainty and insecure. After finish reading the book, I felt like a tiny dot hanging in the air with nothing to rely on. That's the feeling caused by the constantly changes in the book. And knowing that Lauren was prepared does make me feel better.

Another interesting thing brought from the book is the continuity in cultural evolution, which I thought might be useful for the prediction of the future. We can't predict changes, but we can certainly predict continuities, which sometimes can contribute hugely to the evolution.