Nice, Jerry!
I particularly like how you point out the agnostic nature of data.
(Gathering data is not necessarily agnostic, but privacy issues bump up against the concept of trust in a collaborative society. That leads to the number one task: building trust, so we can feel collaborative; and building trust points back to having trustworthy and transparent systems. Which we are rather a long way from having at the moment.)
Kevin,
I will wildly speculate that what Merlin would've told Lancelot is that the crusades will lead to "the end of the world as he knows it, but he'll feel fine." He might also say something like "sometimes it lasts in love but sometimes it hurts instead," but it's also possible he would've said "Jealousy, turning saints into the sea, churning through sick lullabies, choking on the alibis, but it's just the price you pay, destiny is calling you, open up your eager eyes... you're Mr. Brightside."
-Jessica