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Funding of $1.2 million has been secured to build Australia's first deep water hyperbaric chamber testing and maintenance facility in Western Australia, capable of facilitating subsea control modules.

The McGowan Government and industry will each provide $600,000 towards the total $1.2 million cost of the new facility, which will be built at the Australian Marine Complex in Henderson, as part of a more comprehensive regional deep water testing facility.

Due to the growth in Australia's oil and gas industry, an increasing number of subsea control modules require ongoing maintenance and support.

Hyperbaric testing validates the design and manufacturing of products intended to work in subsea conditions or other high-pressure environments. The process offers assurance to manufacturers and customers that the equipment will perform safely and correctly.

Australia does not currently have suitable hyperbaric test facilities to accommodate subsea control modules, which must be sent overseas for inspection and repairs.

This extends supply chains, increases transport cost and risk, reduces visibility of repairs or fault diagnostics, and has led to many operators carrying larger than optimum spares inventories.

Once operational later this year, the new facility will provide local subsea control module testing and reduce the test and repair turnaround time from up to four months down to just two weeks, providing a reduction in costs for operators and equipment suppliers.

The new facility can be expanded to provide local capability for repairs and maintenance, further minimising cost and schedule delays, and developing a pool of local expertise and future jobs that can service both the Australian and regional sector's needs.

This is the first step towards development of a more comprehensive regional deep water testing facility in WA, being led by the Subsea Innovation Cluster Australia, industry partners Baker Hughes and Matrix Composites and Engineering, and supported by the LNG Jobs Taskforce.

Developing a hyperbaric test facility in WA positions the State as a regional testing hub for local, national and overseas customers.

Comments attributed to State Development, Jobs and Trade Minister Roger Cook:

"The McGowan Government's vision and commitment in building Australia's first hyperbaric chamber test facility right here in our State demonstrates our strategy of diversifying our economy by creating new industries and jobs.

"This world-class facility will streamline the test and repair process, providing significant time and cost savings across the subsea industry for operators and equipment suppliers.

"Jointly funded by the State Government and industry, this is an exciting step towards the development of a comprehensive regional deep water testing facility in WA."

Minister's office - 6552 6500

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Australia's first ever hyperbaric test facility for subsea control modules to be based in WA - Media Statements

North Korea on Sunday reported 15 additional deaths from "fever" after the country recently announced its first-ever cases of Covid-19 and ordered nationwide lockdowns.

State media KCNA said a total of 42 people had died, with 820,620 cases and at least 324,550 under medical treatment.

More than a million people have now been sickened by what Pyongyang is calling a "fever", state media said.

Some 50 people have died, but it's unclear how many of those suspected cases tested positive for Covid.

North Korea has only limited testing capacity, so few cases are confirmed.

North Koreans are likely to be especially vulnerable to the virus due to lack of vaccinations and a poor healthcare system. A nationwide lockdown is in place in the reclusive country.

Leader Kim Jong Un has said the outbreak has caused "great upheaval" in North Korea.

KCNA reported that "all provinces, cities and counties of the country have been totally locked down and working units, production units and residential units closed from each other."

Despite activating its "maximum emergency quarantine system" to slow the spread of disease through its unvaccinated population, North Korea is now reporting large numbers of new cases daily.

North Korea confirmed Thursday that the highly contagious Omicron variant had been detected in the capital Pyongyang, with Kim ordering nationwide lockdowns.

It was the government's first official admission of Covid cases and marked the failure of a two-year coronavirus blockade maintained since the start of the pandemic.

"The spread of malignant disease comes to be a great upheaval in our country since the founding of the DPRK," Kim said Saturday, referring to North Korea by its official name.

North Korea is believed to be mostly relying on isolating people with symptoms at shelters. Analyst Cheong Seong-Chang at South Koreas Sejong Institute said the Norths limited number of test kits are likely mainly reserved for the ruling elite.

Failing to slow the virus could have dire consequences for North Korea, considering its broken health care system and that its people are believed to be unvaccinated. Theres also malnourishment and chronic poverty.

The North imposed what it described as maximum preventive measures that restricted travel between cities and counties, and Kim ordered public health officials, teachers and others to identify people with fevers so they could be quarantined. As of Sunday, more than 564,860 people were in quarantine, North Koreas state media reported.

North Koreas previous claim of a perfect record in keeping out the virus for 2 1/2 years was widely doubted. But its extremely strict border closure, large-scale quarantines and propaganda that stressed anti-virus controls as a matter of national existence may have staved off a huge outbreak until now.

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol told the National Assembly on Monday that the South was willing to send vaccines, medicine, equipment and health personnel to the North if its willing to accept.

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The rest is here:
North Korea COVID outbreak spins out of control; over a million cases and counting - Free Press Journal

A 12-year saga between the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and the Rock Springs Grazing Association is nearing an end with a potential reduction in wild horses in Sweetwater and Carbon counties. But the proposal first needs to be reviewed by the public.

In 2010, the Rock Springs Grazing Association removed their consent to allow wild horses to roam on private lands. Three years later, a federal court mandated the BLM find alternatives for wild horse management.

Since then the BLM has had several roundups in those areas. Starting in November, almost 80 percent of wild horses were gathered in the Rock Springs herd management areas (HMA).

But, more has to be done to keep the horses off private land, according to the BLM. And doing so is tricky, said Brady Purdy, acting deputy state director of the BLM.

Really what this boils down to is a lot of the herd management areas over there and Rock Springs contain large amounts of checkerboard lands, which are those alternating lands along the I-80 corridor that switch from private to public, private to public, Purdy said. And it's called the checkerboard because when you look at it, it does look like a big checkerboard.

The BLM is proposing to reduce the herd size in the Adobe Town HMA between 259 and 536 horses and in the White Mountain HMA between 205 and 300. Wild horse herds would be eliminated through gathers and relocation in the Great Divide Basin and Salt Wells Creek areas. This plan is one of four options the BLM explored.

Under this proposed plan there would be a total of 464 to 836 wild horses in the areas. With no action, the BLM estimated a total herd size of 1,481 to 2,065 horses.

Erik Molvar, executive director of the Western Watersheds Project, said removing the horses is not the answer.

The obvious solution to all of this is to have a consolidation of the checkerboard so that the private lands are consolidated, and the public lands are consolidated, he said.

Molvar said this could be done through eminent domain. However, in the four alternatives proposed by the BLM, this was not an option for herd management.

The BLM is taking public comment until June 6 on their proposed plan.

Read more here:
BLM looks for public comment on its Rock Springs and Rawlins wild horse management plan - Wyoming Public Media

May 18, 2022

UPDATE

Apple introduces new professional training to support growing IT workforce

New online courses and certifications for Apple device support, deployment, and management prepare workers for in-demand careers

Demand for skilled support and technical staff within the enterprise is growing, with jobs in computer and information systems in particular projected to grow faster than the average for all occupations from 2020 to 2030.1 As companies expand their use of technology, employees are demanding to use iPhone, iPad, and Mac at work, resulting in an increased need for IT professionals skilled in supporting and managing Apple products.

To help meet this growing demand, Apple today launched updated professional training and certifications for IT support and management. The training has been completely redesigned and moved to an online, self-paced format. Users can demonstrate their competency with two new exams and earn certification from Apple.

More people than ever are using Mac, iPad, and iPhone to do their best work, and the demand for Apple-certified IT professionals has never been greater, said Susan Prescott, Apples vice president of Enterprise and Education Marketing. Apple Professional Training helps anyone with an interest in technology whether they are changing careers or upping their skill set pursue high-paying IT jobs with certifications that will stand out to potential employers. We believe deeply in inclusion in technology, so the new courses are self-paced and freely available, and we are working to ensure ability to pay isnt a barrier to earning Apple certification.

Two new Apple Professional Training courses Apple Device Support, and Apple Deployment and Management are available today on training.apple.com. The courses are sequential, and build on skills and concepts as the user progresses. At the completion of each course, new certification exams are available to demonstrate competence achieved at each level with corresponding digital badges from Apple. Each exam costs $149, and certification can be displayed on resumes, online profiles, and job boards, enabling users to stand out in job searches and employers to find qualified candidates.2

Apple device management and security company Jamf reported that its community of professionals who manage Apple products at work has grown by more than 150 percent since 2017 to more than 100k members.3 And companies like Ford are seeking to hire talent to manage their Apple products.

Transforming Ford and delivering great value to our customers is being fueled by technology including enabling our people to do their best work with the best tools as we create the digital factory of the future, said Mike Amend, Fords chief enterprise technology officer. As part of that process, were rolling out Mac as a choice for our employees. Apples new professional training certifications will help us attract highly talented IT people and see that theyre successful carrying out our Ford+ growth plan.

Apples new IT training series begins with the Apple Device Support course. Through articles and guided exercises, the course covers the tools, services, and best practices used by a help desk professional, technical coordinator, or service provider for an organizations Mac, iPhone, and iPad users. After completing an estimated 14 hours of learning content, users can take an exam to earn the Apple Certified Support Professional certification.

The second level of training in the IT series is the Apple Deployment and Management course, which covers how to configure, manage, and secure Apple products using mobile device management (MDM). Through an estimated 13 hours of content, users will cover developing a deployment strategy, using Apple Business Manager and Apple School Manager, and configuring devices with an MDM solution.Upon successful completion of the exam, users will receive the Apple Certified IT Professional certification.4

To help those entering the workforce or changing careers, Apple is partnering with community colleges and universities to offer on-campus prep courses for the Apple Certified IT Professional badge. Through its Community Education Initiative (CEI), Apple will provide scholarships to cover the cost of the exams for participating students at its CEI partner institutions. Apple first worked with Austin Community College in Austin, Texas, to offer the Apple deployment course in early 2020, and is expanding to Maricopa Community Colleges in Chandler and Mesa, Arizona, this summer, with additional CEI schools to be announced. Ed Farm, an education nonprofit based in Birmingham, Alabama, will also offer prep courses for Apples certification exams this summer through the nonprofits ongoing partnership with Apple.

Apple has also partnered with the Mac Admins Foundation to ensure additional access to the new Apple exams. With underwriting from Apple, the foundation will offer vouchers to applicants with financial need. As a new 501(c)(3) organization, two key tenets of the Mac Admins Foundation are making a welcoming and accessible organization to expand the profession, and maintaining affordable access to all community resources. For more details and to apply, visit macadmins.org.

Theres a lot to like about the all-new Apple Professional Training courses, which give users a solid grounding in the concepts and theory around supporting and deploying Apple products, said Tom Bridge, the Mac Admins Foundations co-chair. Furthermore, both Apple exams are fully representative of the depth and breadth of skills needed for success. This is an important milestone for the Mac Admins community which has grown 48 percent since 2019. Were excited to work with Apple in our new chapter as a 501(c)(3) and ensure that the certification is available to anyone with the passion to take a new step forward in their career.

Apple Professional Training courses are available now at training.apple.com.

Press Contacts

Jessica Reeves

Apple

j_reeves@apple.com

(669) 283-2855

Apple Media Helpline

media.help@apple.com

(408) 974-2042

Originally posted here:
Apple introduces new professional training to support growing IT workforce - Apple

At Googles I/O developer conference, the company announced that its releasing the second public beta of Android 13 today. The beta comes with a number of new features and user controls, along with updates to privacy and security.

With Android 13, Google says its giving users more control over what personal information they share and more detailed control over what files apps can access. Instead of permitting access to Files and media, there are two new categories you can control access to: Photos & videos and Music & audio. The company is also rolling out a new option that lets you select the exact photos or videos you want to grant an app access to, as opposed to having to share your entire media library with an app.

Image Credits: Google

Google is also looking to give users more control over how they engage with apps and notifications, as apps must get your permission before sending you notifications in Android 13. The company is also reducing the number of apps that require your location. For instance, users will no longer have to grant location to apps to enable Wi-Fi scanning.

Although users already receive an alert when an app accesses their clipboard, Android 13 will go beyond this and automatically delete your clipboard history after a short period of time to prevent apps from seeing old copied information. Google also plans to introduce a new unified Security & Privacy settings page in Android 13 that provides a clear indicator of your safety status while also offering suggestions that will enhance your security.

Image Credits: Google

Last year, Google introduced the Material You experience, where when you change your wallpaper, the entire Android 12 experience changes to match its colors. With Android 13, Google plans to roll out pre-made color variants that will apply a color scheme across the entire OS. The company is also extending the color-theming of app icons beyond Google apps. Starting with Pixel devices, users will be able to toggle on the Themed apps setting to have all supported apps match their phones colors.In addition, Google is introducing a new media control that tailors its look based on the music that youre listening to.

Google notes that personalized within Android 13 goes beyond aesthetics and also focuses on other areas, such as language preferences. Users will be able select different languages for each app. The new feature will be useful for people who are multilingual and use different languages depending on specific situations.

For example, you might enjoy social media in one language, but bank in another, Google said in a blog post. Android 13 helps you use language as fluidly as you do in real life, so you can select a different language preference for each of your apps in Settings.

Image Credits: Google

As for tablets, Google is building on Android 12Ls update that optimized the layout for bigger screen devices. With Android 13, Google is going to introduce better multitasking capabilities for tablets through an updated taskbar that can be used to easily switch your single tablet view to a split screen. Google is also adding palm detection, which will prevent triggering unintended actions when your hand is resting on the screen. The new feature will be useful for people who use their tablets to write or draw using a stylus pen.

Lastly, Google plans to update more than 20 of its apps to be a better fit for larger screens. Many third-party apps, such as TikTok, Facebook and Zoom, will be revamped for larger screens.

The company says users can find many of these new features today in the second beta of Android 13. Google also teased that theres more in store for Android 13, such as features that shape modern standards for audio and video like HDR video, Spatial Audio and Bluetooth Low Energy Audio.

Originally posted here:
Android 13 Beta 2 is rolling out today with new user controls, privacy features and more - TechCrunch