R has some powerful tools for parallel processing, which I discovered while searching for ways to fully utilize my 8-core computer at work. What surprised me is how easy it is…about 6 lines of code, if that. Given that I wasn’t allowed to install heavy duty parallel-processing systems like MPICH on the computer, I found that the library SNOW fit the bill nicely through its use of sockets. I also discovered the libraries foreach and iterators, which were released to the community by the development team at Revolution R.