Information Technology Analyst

Technology Analyst

Duties and Tasks

Trade union officials may perform the following tasks:

• represent members in negotiations with management over workplace issues
• visit places of work where members of the union are employed, to check on working conditions and to identify other industrial relations issues
• handle complaints and disputes on the job
• check employees' time and wage records (kept by employers) to make sure that employees are being paid the correct wages
• make sure that safety rules and regulations are observed in the workplace and advise employers of possible breaches
• recruit new members and make sure that current members are up to date with payment of their union fees and are informed about union activities (e.g. through a newsletter)
• draft applications for award variations and, through research and inspections, collect evidence and prepare submissions in support of claims
• represent the union at conferences and in negotiations (may include acting as the union's representative or advocate before industrial courts or tribunals)
• assist in managing the finances of the union.

Information Technology Specialist

Technology Specialist

Description

Ten years ago, the internet was a fuzzy concept that people sort of knew about, but few people were actually using. People were aware of a borderless information supersystem, linked around the globe by computers, but it was accessible to only those in the know.

Piracy Off The Horn Of Africa

Piracy Off The Horn Of Africa

DTN News: Piracy Off The Horn Of Africa

(NSI News Source Info) WASHINGTON, USA - September 16, 2009: The Gulf of Aden, off the Horn of Africa, through which some 33,000 commercial ships pass each year, is one of the world's busiest seaways – and one of the most dangerous. Since the beginning of this year, there have been 138 reported pirate attacks on commercial vessels, of which 33 were successful. (Image: This Saudi Arabian supertanker was hijacked off the Kenyan coast)

The United States government, in concert with the U.S. maritime industry and other concerned nations and international organizations, continues to work to prevent pirates operating in the waters of the Horn of Africa from interfering with maritime commerce, endangering mariners, hindering the provision of humanitarian aid to East Africa, and further destabilizing the troubled region.

The U.S. believes that all commercial vessels should take self protection measures to reduce the risk of piracy. In order to successfully deter these criminal assaults on the high seas the commercial shipping industry should continue to provide input to, and follow, internationally recognized best management practices to avoid, deter, or delay acts of piracy.

Hunt For Sea Minerals Drives Indian Navy

Hunt For Sea Minerals Drives

DTN News: Hunt For Sea Minerals Drives Indian Navy

(NSI News Source Info) NEW DELHI, India - September 16, 2009: India's ambitious plans to modernise its navy are being driven by a scramble for mineral wealth on the floor of the sea leagues away from the mainland, according to the country's military strategists. The Indian Navy is the naval branch of the armed forces of India. It currently has approximately 55,000 personnel on active duty, including 5,000 members of the naval aviation branch and 2,000 marine commandos, making it the world's fifth largest navy. The Indian Navy currently operates more than 155 vessels, including the aircraft carrier INS Viraat, along with operational jet fighters.

Though the primary objective of the navy is to secure national maritime borders, India also uses its navy to enhance its international relations through joint exercises, port visits and humanitarian missions, including disaster relief. In recent years, the Indian Navy has undergone extensive modernization and expansion with an intention to increase its capabilities as a recognized blue-water navy.

Bombardier Celebrates Groundbreaking For New CSeries Aircraft Manufacturing Site

New CSeries Aircraft Manufacturing Site

DTN News: Bombardier Celebrates Groundbreaking For New CSeries Aircraft Manufacturing Site

(NSI News Source Info) MONTREAL, QUEBEC, Canada - September 16, 2009: Yesterday Sept 15, marked a major achievement for the CSeries aircraft program as Bombardier Aerospace celebrated the groundbreaking of the first CSeries aircraft building in Quebec, Canada. Located at Mirabel, 45 minutes north of Montreal, the Complete Integrated Aircraft Systems Test Area (CIASTA) is a testing and systems-proving facility that will house a virtual CSeries test aircraft. The CIASTA will test aircraft systems for reliability and functionality one year before the first prototype aircraft flies.

Attended by Bombardier's employees, suppliers, partners, customers and the media, the groundbreaking lays the path for the new aircraft's entry into service in 2013.

Pratt & Whitney Stands Behind Cost Commitment On F135 Engine For F-35 Joint Strike Fighter

F135 Engine For F-35 Joint Strike Fighter

DTN News: Pratt & Whitney Stands Behind Cost Commitment On F135 Engine For F-35 Joint Strike Fighter

(NSI News Source Info) EAST HARTFORD, Conn., USA - September 16, 2009: Pratt & Whitney's F135 engine powering the F-35 Lightning II aircraft continues to realize production cost reduction benefits, and Pratt & Whitney has offered to provide the F-35 Joint Program Office with a firm fixed price proposal for the F135 engine if requested. Pratt & Whitney is a United Technologies Corp. (NYSE: UTX - News) company. The F-35 is the result of the Defense Department's Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) program, which sought to build a multirole fighter optimized for the air-to-ground role with secondary air-to-air capability.

The JSF requirement was to meet the needs of the Air Force, Navy, Marine Corps and allies, with improved survivability, precision engagement capability, and reduced life cycle costs. By using many of the same technologies developed for the F-22, the F-35 has the opportunity to capitalize on commonality and modularity to maximize affordability.

Lockheed Martin C-5M Super Galaxy Sets World Aviation Records

C-5M Super Galaxy

DTN News: Lockheed Martin C-5M Super Galaxy Sets World Aviation Records

(NSI News Source Info) DOVER AFB, Del., USA - September 16, 2009: A joint U.S. Air Force and Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT - News) flight crew flying a C-5M Super Galaxy strategic transport claimed 41 world aeronautical records in one flight on September 13. The C-5 has been the backbone of strategic airlift in every engagement since it entered service. It is the only aircraft capable of carrying 100 percent of certified air-transportable cargo, with a dedicated passenger compartment enabling commanders to have troops and their equipment arrive in an area of operation simultaneously. The C-5 can carry twice the cargo of other strategic airlift systems. With more than 70 percent of its structural service life remaining, Lockheed Martin is committed to sustaining the C-5 fleet throughout its lifecycle. The C-5M Super Galaxy will continue to be a force enabler through 2040.

The flight from Dover AFB broke eight existing world marks and established standards in 33 other categories where there had been no previous record attempt. The records were set in the Class C-1.S, Jet category for altitude in horizontal flight, altitude with payload, time-to-climb, time-to-climb with payload and greatest payload to 2,000 meters. The aircraft carried a payload of more than 80,000 kg (the actual measured payload weight was 176,610 lb) to an altitude of more than 41,100 feet in 23 minutes, 59 seconds.

"These records are simply a reflection of the capability of the Super Galaxy," said Lorraine Martin, Lockheed Martin C-5 Program vice president. "These records are not just for show. They demonstrate conclusively the C-5M's ability to quickly get the warfighter out of harm's way while carrying a larger payload than any other U.S. airlifter. This flight also showed the Super Galaxy can operate with that payload at operational altitudes. The C-5M is strategic airlift redefined."

The Class C-1.S Jet category is for aircraft weighing from 250,000 kilograms (551,155 pounds) to 300,000 kg (661,386 lb). The C-5M had a takeoff weight of 649,680 lb, which included fuel, crew weight, necessary equipment, and the payload, which was loaded on 29 standard U.S. military 463L cargo pallets. All C-5s are capable of carrying 36 pallets.

US Air Force Chief Wary Of Raptor F-22 Fighter Export Project

Raptor F-22 Fighter Export Project

DTN News: US Air Force Chief Wary Of Raptor F-22 Fighter Export Project

(NSI News Source Info) NATIONAL HARBOR, Maryland, - September 16, 2009: A top U.S. Air Force official expressed doubts on Tuesday about diverting service personnel toward developing an export version of Lockheed Martin Corp's (LMT.N) F-22 fighter. The F-22A Raptor advanced tactical fighter entered service with the US Air Force in December 2005. The USAF requirement is for a fighter to replace the F-15, with emphasis on agility, stealth and range.

An export version could keep the production line going even as the Obama administration seeks to end purchases of the advanced combat jet during fiscal 2010, that begins Oct. 1.

But Air Force Chief of Staff General Norton Schwartz said personnel were needed to focus on what he described as higher-priority programs, including a new aerial refueling tanker and a new long-range strike capability.

Boeing Still Hopeful On Brazil Fighter Jet Deal

Brazil Fighter Jet Deal

DTN News: Boeing Still Hopeful On Brazil Fighter Jet Deal

(NSI News Source Info) SAO PAULO, Brazil - September 16, 2009: Boeing Co still hopes to woo Brazil away from buying 36 French Rafale fighter jets in favor of its own planes, dangling supply deals with around 150 Brazilian parts makers and suppliers as a sweetener.

The F/A-18E/F Super Hornet is a combat-proven strike fighter with built-in versatility. The Super Hornet's suite of integrated and networked systems provides enhanced interoperability, total force support for the combatant commander and for the troops on the ground.

Brazil's Defense Ministry said last week it had not yet chosen a manufacturer for the multibillion dollar deal for which France's Dassault Aviation, seen as favorite up to now, and Sweden's Saab are also competing.

Pentagon Presses UTX To Cut F-35 Engine Costs

UTX To Cut F-35 Engine Costs

DTN News: Pentagon Presses UTX To Cut F-35 Engine Costs

(NSI News Source Info) NATIONAL HARBOR, Maryland, USA - September 16, 2009: The Pentagon is pressing United Technologies Corp (UTX.N) to cut costs on the engine it builds for Lockheed Martin Corp's (LMT.N) F-35 fighter, but said problems with that engine do not justify spending billions on an alternate F-35 engine.

The stealthy, supersonic multi-role fighter was designated the F-35 Lightning II in July 2006. The JSF is being built in three variants: a conventional take-off and landing aircraft (CTOL) for the US Air Force; a carrier variant (CV) for the US Navy; and a short take-off and vertical landing (STOVL) aircraft for the US Marine Corps and the Royal Navy. A 70%-90% commonality is required for all variants.

Apple using 'bogus' patents to make Android more expensive, says Google

make Android more expensive, says Google

Google lawyer accuses rival companies including Apple, Oracle and Microsoft of running an anti-competitive strategy to stifle innovation and push up prices

Google has accused Apple, Microsoft, Oracle and "other companies" of trying to make Android smartphones more expensive to consumers by running a "hostile, organised campaign" against it by using "bogus patents" acquired from the bankrupt Canadian company Nortel and their existing patent holdings.

Its chief legal officer, David Drummond, alleges that the companies are effectively imposing a "tax" to push up the price of Android devices. "Microsoft and Apple have always been at each other's throats, so when they get into bed together you have to start wondering what's going on," Drummond wrote in a blog post.

How Google, Facebook and Hotmail aim to stop holiday hacking

Hotmail aim to stop holiday hacking

This is the peak season for having your email account hacked, so Google, Hotmail and Facebook have implemented a news system called 'two-factor authentication'

"My Google email account was recently hacked into whilst I was on holiday in Slovakia. The hacker said that I had been robbed at gunpoint in Spain and robbed, then asked people to send money to a money transfer account in Spain," read the email that arrived this week. "This has happened to other people, I gather."

It certainly has: this is the peak season for people having their accounts hacked, principally because so many are travelling, and thus using either computers or networks that are shared and which they trust too much.

Mark Zuckerberg's sister Randi quits Facebook to set up on her own

Set up on her own

Facebook founder's sister leaves social networking site to form company with no goal or employees – yet

Anyone who saw the film The Social Network would have no way of knowing that Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg has a sister. But now Randi Zuckerberg is generating headlines of her own – after six years working faithfully in her younger brother's shadow as Facebook's director of market development, she is jumping ship to set up an independent social media company.

The tech bloggers of Silicon Valley are rubbing their hands at the prospect of some sibling rivalry to follow on from the multiple lawsuits that the younger Zuckerberg – he's 27, she's 29 – has endured over the parentage of his wildly popular website.

But older business analysts wonder if this may not be the online equivalent of the great Dunkin' Donuts rift of the 1950s, when one of the two original partners behind America's most popular snackshops broke out on his own with the rival Mister Donut franchise. (They were later bought by the same corporate parent and reunited after close to 40 years.) More perplexed tech watchers wonder what Randi hopes to achieve that she hasn't already done in one of the world's most rapidly expanding companies. Her new outfit has a name, RtoZ Media, but no publicly defined goal, no employees and no fully functioning website – yet.

Randi is unlikely to be planning anything excessively controversial. She appears to have decided to have fun with her money and her instantly recognisable last name to branch out on her own, without doing anything to damage the Facebook brand she worked for so long to help establish.

This half-baked, half-hearted

anti-piracy strategy

This half-baked, half-hearted, slow-motion anti-piracy strategy does music no favours

The creative industries need a proper strategy that would not favour film over music or computer games

If you have been listening to Radio 1 any time recently, Example is the rapper who has "never been afraid of the highest heights", which is useful enough when you've had a number one hit that has sold 1.7m copies this year. Contrary, perhaps, to received thinking about the state of the music market this is not a freak hit either; the all-digital singles market is booming – single sales are up 10% so far in 2011 (on top of a 10% improvement the year before), according to the record counters at the Official Chart Company.

New iPlayer app launches on PS3

iPlayer app launches on PS3

BBC launches redesigned version of its iPlayer catchup service for TV viewers, debuting on Sony's PlayStation 3 console.

Diehard Doctor Who fans have grown used to catching up on the latest episode of their favourite programme on their smartphone or iPad. But most viewers are set to swap their smartphone for the living room as the BBC predicts TV will dominate iPlayer catch-up within three years.

The BBC on Monday launched a new version of iPlayer for the TV, in a fresh attempt to woo an older generation of viewers.

The app – launching initially on the Sony PlayStation 3 games console, which has run the browser-based version of iPlayer since 2008 – has been built from scratch and includes new features such as viewer recommendations.

Women! Wikipedia needs you

Wikipedia needs you

Jimmy Wales has suggested that more women need to get involved with editing the online encyclopedia, but what is putting them off in the first place?

In a revealing glimpse inside the Wikipedia kimono at its annual conference in Haifa at the weekend, co-founder Jimmy Wales described the typical Wikipedia editor as a 26-year-old geeky male with a PhD. Eventually he'll get married, go on to some other project and leave the site, said Wales. And Wikipedia's own research found that 90% of editors are male.

This imbalance has meant that while technology and science are covered comprehensively, other subjects are left wanting. "The main thing is to bring in people of all different backgrounds," Wales told the event, reports the Independent. "If you do that, you increase the knowledge base of the site, which can only be a good thing. At the moment, we are relatively poor in a few areas; for example, biographies of famous women through history and issues surrounding early childcare."

Amazon's Kindle Cloud Reader HTML5 app evades Apple's iOS rules

Kindle Cloud Reader HTML5

New web app launches today for iPad as well as Safari and Chrome desktop browsers.

Amazon is the latest company to launch an HTML5 web app as an alternative to a native mobile application. Kindle Cloud Reader goes live on Wednesday, and will enable iPad users to read their Kindle ebooks in the Safari browser rather than the native Kindle app.

The new site also works on the desktop, via the Safari and Chrome browsers. Support for Internet Explorer, Firefox and the BlackBerry PlayBook will follow later this year.

One of the new site's key features is the ability to store the user's latest book locally for offline reading. Amazon follows the Financial Times in launching an HTML5 web app for its flagship mobile service.

Anonymous attacks US sheriffs' websites

Anonymous attacks US sheriffs' websites

Hacking collective says it stole data including emails and credit card numbers in retaliation for arrests of its sympathizers.

The group of hackers known as Anonymous says it has hacked into about 70 mostly rural law enforcement websites in the US, a data breach that at least one local police chief said leaked sensitive information about an ongoing investigation.

The loose-knit international hacking collective posted a cache of data to the internet early on Saturday, including emails stolen from officers, tips that appeared to come from members of the public, credit card numbers and other information.

Anonymous said it had stolen 10 gigabytes worth of data in retaliation for the arrests of its sympathisers in the US and Britain.

Android and iOS both fail, but Android fails better

ANDROID 007

How well a system works is only half the picture: the other half is how badly it fails

My recent review of the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 Android tablet stirred up a dreary and inevitable round of OS advocacy and such, with both Apple and Android lovers baying like wounded members of persecuted religious minorities, arguing about which OS is most worthy of our love and devotion.

For me, no love or devotion is due to an operating system or a gadget.

I'm enough of an old technology hand to know that any love we harbour for our gadgets is unrequited and generally tragic – not least because you are not destined to have a long-term love-affair with your gizmos, as they will be semi-obsolete in a year or two.

Don't get me wrong. I know that some devices, apps and systems can work well – that is, they can make it easier to do something that was hard, or possible to do something that was impossible. That's why we all use this stuff. But I think that how well a system works is only half the picture: the other half is how badly it fails.

Apple ruling blocks Samsung Galaxy Tab shipments across EU

SAMSUNG GALAXY 007

German patent court grants Apple a preliminary injunction against Samsung's Galaxy tablet over patent claim

European customs officers have been ordered to seize shipments of Samsung's Galaxy Tab computers after Apple won a preliminary injunction against the Korean electronics giant in an acrimonious patent dispute.

Samsung on Wednesday said it would act immediately to lift the blockade, which prevents sales of its flagship tablet computer in the European Union, except the Netherlands.

Tens of thousands of Samsung Galaxy Tabs are thought to have been seized after the ruling late on Tuesday by a German patents court.

Apple has accused Samsung's Galaxy range of smartphones and tablet computers of "slavishly" copying the design and functionality of its popular iPhone and iPad lines.

Apple will apply to have the injunction extended to the Netherlands before the patents court in the Hague later on Wednesday.

A Samsung spokeswoman said on Wednesday morning: "Samsung is disappointed with the court's decision and we intend to act immediately to defend our intellectual property rights through the ongoing legal proceedings in Germany and will continue to actively defend these rights throughout the world.