Author: Aakash Sharan




Empowering R Programmers: Exploring the Capabilities of SparkR with RStudio

Let’s talk about SparkR! It’s an R package that provides a lightweight frontend to use Apache Spark from R. I used RStudio and Spark 1.6.1 for this exercise. SparkR has a distributed data frame implementation that supports operations like selection, filtering, and more. Cool, right? In RStudio, run the following code to check the system […]


Databricks Certified Spark Developer: Mastering Big Data Processing

So, I recently completed the XSeries course by UC Berkeley on Apache Spark and I was all set to give the Databricks Spark Developer Certification. And guess what? I cleared the exam last week! Woohoo! The course on edX was great for brushing up on my Spark skills (I had worked with Spark MLlib before), […]





Unlocking the Power of Big Data: Embarking on a Journey of Learning Apache Spark

I am currently enrolled in the Introduction to Apache Spark, offered by UC Berkeley on edX. This course is the first installment in a five-part series, which commenced on the 15th of June. A few months ago, I attended a Spark workshop hosted by IBM. Although the workshop was satisfactory, I believe it could have […]


Revving Up the Engines of Racing Games: Review of The Crew

So, Xbox One’s free game of the month was "The Crew". Being a racing game enthusiast, I thought I’d give it a shot. But, boy oh boy, was I disappointed after playing it for just an hour! Most racing games don’t really have a great plot, but this one had a good story – or […]