The Last Hunter ($2.99 Kindle eBook, also available in print) by Jeremy Robinson is the first in a series of young adult techno-thrillers. Yes, I’m a bit embarrassed to admit it – but I just read a YA book and enjoyed it. Honestly, I had no clue [...]]]>

The Last Hunter ($2.99 Kindle eBook, also available in print) by Jeremy Robinson is the first in a series of young adult techno-thrillers. Yes, I’m a bit embarrassed to admit it – but I just read a YA book and enjoyed it. Honestly, I had no clue it was YA until just a few moments ago. I did wonder why Robinson chose to cast the protagonist as a young teenager.

Still, while the book is classified as YA it is probably important to note that it is YA in the same way that C.S. Lewis‘ Chronicles of Narnia, Philip Pullman‘s Subtle Knife, or Frank Peretti‘s Cooper Kids are YA. In other words, the topics addressed, the philosophical underpinnings, and sometimes the storyline are not blaise.

I’m not going to even begin to attempt a synopsis of this book – to do so without revealing too much of the thrill of the storyline is almost impossible. Instead, let me just note a few of the topics that are addressed in the novel that really drew in my attention:

• Nephilim – I’m always a sucker for these guys. We know so little about them, other than their mention in Genesis and a few other brief passages, but there is plenty of opportunity to build lore around them.
• Mythology (especially Norse) – Mythology is always fascinating, and I appreciate Robinson’s endeavors to provide an explanation for the origin of these myths.
• Hollow Earth – Okay, its not strictly hollow earth – but it is kind of. You’ll feel some Journey to the Center of the Earth (Jules Vernes) vibes from this one, and perhaps a touch of The Lost World (Arthur Conan Doyle).
• Ancient Man – Part of the novel revolves around Antartica as a green continent and the presence of ancient civilizations on the continent.
• Large Creatures – I’m also a sucker for large creatures – e.g. prehistoric or modern gigantic marvels (dinosaurs and so on).

Charity really loved the character development and character interactions at the beginning and the end of the book – but was a little disappointed in the middle (when all the action occurred) due to the lack of character development.

Overall, I would give the book 5/5 stars, but for one issue – Robinson describes in excruciating detail several painful scenes – e.g. when someone or something suffers great pain or death. I’m not objecting due to any inability to write but simply because the passages where physically hard to read. One felt the pain of the characters, the disgust, the anguish – and while there is a sense in which one reads to understand, there is also a sense in which we read to relax…and those portions were not relaxing at all!

Sometimes the problem with accomplishing a charitable objective is not convincing people to support an endeavor but simply making them aware of the need and how

they can be a part of the solution[1. I do believe in the sickness of mankind - corporately and individually. In other words, I do not believe we [...]]]> Introduction:

Sometimes the problem with accomplishing a charitable objective is not convincing people to support an endeavor but simply making them aware of the need and how

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they can be a part of the solution[1. I do believe in the sickness of mankind - corporately and individually. In other words, I do not believe we are a blank slate capable of perfect good, but rather irretrievably corrupted, redeemable only via super-natural means. In such, I agree with traditional ideas on the depravity on man. However, too often the fact that we are sick has been used to describe us as dead. We yet bear a bit of that perfect image in which we were formed and while we will always make bad choices this does not preclude us from making good choices. Evangelacism too often has failed to lead causes in arenas such as social justice because of a misuse of the concept of depravity. I consider myself solidly evangelical but unwilling to allow depravity to overcome ideas of social justice, charity, and humanity. It is a partial explanation of, but not a full picture, the nature and future of man.]. I believe this is the case with the World Community Grid and I want to share with each of you about this exciting project that meets real needs and that each of us can painlessly participate in.

The Problem:

Humans cannot perform the calculations fast enough for many of the massive scientific and medical experiment currently in process. We need the assistance of computers to perform these massive calculations faster and reliably. Unfortunately, super-computers with massive processing power are in limited supply and expensive to either build or rent. This places a strain on medical and scientific researchers as they must secure extra funds or wait for computing resources to become available.

The Solution:

The World Community Grid allows individuals to install an application on their computer that essentially allows their computer to become part of a massive super-computer. Already hundreds of thousands of individuals participate, and well over a million machines are involved. Already we have contributed 195,000 years of processing power to various projects.

The Questions:

• Will my computer run slower? Yes and no. In a strictly literal sense, it will – because its doing something else in the background. But in a realistic sense, there are generally no tangible changes in system performance. The software automatically reduces its resource utilization when you are actively utilizing the computer[2. You can always turn off the application temporarily or permanently.].
• What sort of projects are these researchers working on? Cures/treatments for cancers, AIDs, muscular dystrophy, STDs, malaria, and flavivirus infections (e.g. West Nile encephalitis and yellow fever). The projects also model climate predictions and look for effective food hybrids (e.g. a more nutritious rice).

Conclusion:

Go to WorldCommunityGrid.org and sign up for a free account. Its easy, fun, and really makes a difference. In the U.S. alone we have a population of well over 200 million. Right now there are less than one million participants and we are already accomplishing amazing things. Join us for this exciting journey! If you have questions or encounter problems please enter them in the comments and I’ll do my best to answer each one.