Category: science

Big Data Introduction

I am beginning to put up some technical topics on my blog henceforth. 
As a beginner post, here is an introduction to the concepts of Big Data. The content here is based on books I read, articles I read on the internet and also based on looking at demos of certain software that I or other people use. The effort I make is to put perspectives about the domain into a crisp readable mind map which is concise and puts forth a big picture for readers.

I use mind maps. If you are uncomfortable with mind maps, please look elsewhere for a better way to understand these topics. 
This mind map covers the facts about Big Data, the challenges we face with the amount of data we are generating in this world today. There are constraints to using hardware, constraints on the nature of the data that we aim to process, etc.
When discussing drawbacks, it is also useful to understand the alternatives of how problems can be solved and the risks of using such alternatives. When we try and do some operations on Big Data they can be done entirely online or offline – so it is important to understand the choices we have to handle data in this manner.
Further data is also processed in different ways depending on where the data is coming from, what exactly we want to do with the data (index, search, etc). There are tools meant for usage for specific types of processing which are also listed in the map.
Hadoop being the popular (until now) distributed data processing framework means that it has thrown its weight around considering how many companies invested into it, to use it, to enhance it and produce outcomes on large amounts of data for purposes such as business analytics, or data sciences areas.
Finally the map also covers the related tools/projects in conjunction with Hadoop that exist in the ecosystem today and what they are capable of doing to help the Big Data domain. Obviously then what you would need to do is, based on your interest dwell deeper into an area that you are interested to know more.
I will leave you with a quote I saw in a particular book that defines the reason we need a different way to attack the problems Big Data poses.
If you need an ox for heavier pulling you don’t grow a larger ox, you put more oxen

Giria’s Explorium – half a day worth of learning experience for your kids

Giria’s is a well known name in FMCG industry with many showrooms selling lots of home appliances all over the country and many in Bengaluru. However little is known about their Explorium centre which is constructed especially for kids to learn lots of things.

The explorium is in Domlur, right opposite the EGL business park and is easy to spot. It opens between 9 to 10am and if you are one of the first few there, you can get a good parking spot for your car. The entry fee is a split of 70% – 30% between adult and kid and for two adults and kids is around Rs 2000/-. That is about 7-8$ for a ticket which is reasonable. Once you pay up and while you enter you are tagged with an wrist sticker to let you in along with your kid/s.

Some of the things which are installed for learning purposes include a huge rocket with steps to climb into and go into the many sides of the rocket and climb down again. Kids will perpetually enjoy this as they get to explore the inner realms of the rocket though its mostly metal and nothing electric within. They can easily spend about an hour there.

Also there are pins against which kids can push their body parts and the relevant shapes will manifest on the other side. This gives kids the ability to explore and touch and feel and understand the shapes that are generated by this game. Further There are air based experiements which explain centrifugual forces and their effects on many materials such as paper, cloth, dense and light materials, hollow balls, etc.

The other game is about applying a huge amount of force to set a ball right to the top of the celiing explaining how the energy is transferred to produce motion. Besides these there are a couple of electric circuits related experiments which will show the kids how a light bulb can be made to glow based on rotary forces applied. You can build paper planes as per instructions given and see which plane flies the farthest. Further there are huge building blocks with which you can build entire cities (not literally of course) – and make shapes out of blocks.

Further there are installations to show you how JCB’s and cranes operate and let the kid get a sense of how to operate this mega machines in real life. The kids get to move blocks and lift mud using these earth mover machines themselves which is a reasonable learning. A little ahead on the ground floor are other experiments to make kids understand gravitational forces by rearranging channels along which the balls move.

Also in a separate section are water related experiements to teach how water flows, how dams are constructed and wheel based water lifts and so on. There is a water fountain which was not working at the time we went there.

The first floor is more for younger kids having gardens, paint art, sand art and so on. The second floor has a restaurant run by the Chancery Hotel near Raj Bhavan and a store which sells toys. Both of these are slightly expensive and the restaurant food is decent even if not the seating spaces. The seating is at best average and could have been better.

Unless otherwise the management decides to keep changing the sets of experiments on a regular basis, this is just a one of stop for your kids to spend some time. A much better and more advanced place of similar nature is the Visweswaraya Musem which is well known for the exposure it gives to multiple segments such as science, math, agrictulure, electricity, etc.

So if you want your kids to learn something new which is different from the ordinary games and fun people have at all the malls, the Explorium is a good place to visit for once. It is not terribly expensive and the games there are a little more of a stimulus for the kids minds compared to the electronic racing games at malls. I would say that the Explorium is a place to visit at least once if you are in Bangalore.