Go back

What Grinds Our Gears: I’m out-pacing my computer with these datasets

If you’re going to give me massive files to process, could you at least give me new hardware too?

By: Nathan Tok, Peak Associate

As I am writing this, my laptop is labouriously trying to load some data files for a class. And it is taking forever

Seriously? I am not a Big Data person or some hot shot researcher. Why am I being given all these absolutely massive datasets that take so long to load? I’m sorry if my laptop only has 8GB of RAM but you know, having a laptop with all the top specs is kind of expensive. 

I suppose there are some benefits to slow processing speeds. I can go find snacks to eat as I wait for these maps to buffer, or maybe I can contemplate my life choices that led to this moment as the software tries to run the datasets. I actually think I am learning to be more of a Jedi in these moments. To control myself and to be more mindful of the present and not letting my mind wander off to what could have been, and the future . . . 

Oh look the dataset has loaded. OK, now let me try modifying just one single parameter and . . .

Crash.

Well, guess I can go run a marathon or something while it loads again.

 

Was this article helpful?
0
0

Leave a Reply

Block title

SFU rejoins U SPORTS’ Canada West in 2027

By: Jonah Lazar, Staff Writer Following SFU’s decision last September to leave the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), the US’ premier collegiate sports governing body, the university is set to begin competing in Canada’s collegiate sports governing body, U SPORTS, starting in the fall of 2027. On May 7, SFU was accepted into Canada West, U SPORTS’ western division, as a probationary member. SFU received probationary membership from U SPORTS at the U SPORTS annual meeting at the beginning of June.  In U SPORTS, SFU will compete in the Canada West conference against 17 other universities in Western Canada, including UBC, UVIC, and other universities in BC, Manitoba, Alberta, and Saskatchewan. SFU’s decision to leave the NCAA championships last September was largely due to budgetary concerns. The...

Read Next

Block title

SFU rejoins U SPORTS’ Canada West in 2027

By: Jonah Lazar, Staff Writer Following SFU’s decision last September to leave the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), the US’ premier collegiate sports governing body, the university is set to begin competing in Canada’s collegiate sports governing body, U SPORTS, starting in the fall of 2027. On May 7, SFU was accepted into Canada West, U SPORTS’ western division, as a probationary member. SFU received probationary membership from U SPORTS at the U SPORTS annual meeting at the beginning of June.  In U SPORTS, SFU will compete in the Canada West conference against 17 other universities in Western Canada, including UBC, UVIC, and other universities in BC, Manitoba, Alberta, and Saskatchewan. SFU’s decision to leave the NCAA championships last September was largely due to budgetary concerns. The...

Block title

SFU rejoins U SPORTS’ Canada West in 2027

By: Jonah Lazar, Staff Writer Following SFU’s decision last September to leave the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), the US’ premier collegiate sports governing body, the university is set to begin competing in Canada’s collegiate sports governing body, U SPORTS, starting in the fall of 2027. On May 7, SFU was accepted into Canada West, U SPORTS’ western division, as a probationary member. SFU received probationary membership from U SPORTS at the U SPORTS annual meeting at the beginning of June.  In U SPORTS, SFU will compete in the Canada West conference against 17 other universities in Western Canada, including UBC, UVIC, and other universities in BC, Manitoba, Alberta, and Saskatchewan. SFU’s decision to leave the NCAA championships last September was largely due to budgetary concerns. The...