It might kill the cat but it gives us fulfilment

September. The time of year when the Institute holds its annual conference and gives you an opportunity to find out what is happening in the world of NDT. What is the newest piece of kit? What name has been generated by the latest merger or takeover? Who has moved and to which company? What are the technical areas of interest? What are the latest problems to which NDT can provide a solution? What are people conducting research on?

I always enjoy going to the conference and finding out the answers to these questions. Performing your day-to-day tasks to earn your wage can restrict your view of the industry and lead you to get submerged in the minutiae of systems and office politics. Attending the conference, or any similar event which allows you to meet others, to discuss (possibly over a drink), to find out about equipment and the application of techniques, makes you remember why you got into NDT in the first place.

I like to know things. I am curious. Which is good, evidently. Or so the author of a book described in a May edition of The Guardian Magazine says. Curiosity is the key to fulfilment. Todd Kashdan, the author, is a psychologist who has studied curiosity and its effects.

In a research article he writes that curiosity has been defined as one of the fundamental mechanisms of intrinsic motivation which has profound influences on wellbeing. He also reports on research which shows that adults in their seventies with greater curiosity live longer over a five-year span than their less curious peers. Curiosity is key to the development of young children.

So, am I really curious? Or am I saying that I am in the hope I might live longer? Some of the things I am curious about are:
  • How do the people who refuse to move out of the middle lane get off the motorway?
  • Why don't cars have a different tone of horn facing backwards to warn off tailgaters?
  • When will the FA do something about footballers rolling over in agony when they take a slight knock?
  • Will my team ever get out of that division?
On the NDT front I would like to know:
  • Why do job adverts never ask for a Chartered Engineer through BINDT?
  • If NDT is an engineering discipline, why do very few people talk of inspection design?
  • Why is there very little correspondence in NDT News and Insight?
  • Are NDT people not curious?
  • Will anything be done about the IAQP or will I be saving some money come January?
I do think modern technology is quashing the development of curiosity as much as it is helping to stimulate it. Products are designed to be replaced rather than taken apart and mended. Tinkering to see how things work and to improve them is no longer possible. The internet has made satisfying some curiosity easier, maybe too easy, whilst the plethora of useless information that is put online can sap the enthusiasm of even the most curious of people.

The annual conference offers the ideal opportunity to apply and satisfy curiosity. At the end of every session you will be able to ask questions. If none are forthcoming, presenters should ask the
audience questions. If you are not attending the conference then you could help improve the wellbeing of the NDT community by asking your own questions of NDT News and Insight and stimulate more curiosity.

Please note that the views expressed in this column are the author's own personal ramblings for the purpose of encouraging discussion within the NDT Newspaper. They do not represent the views of the IVC, Serco Assurance or the HSE who funded the PANI projects.

Letters can be mailed to The Editor, NDT News, 1 Spencer Parade, Northampton NN1 5AA. Fax: 01604 231489; Email: ndtnews@bindt.org or email Bernard McGrath direct at Bernard.McGrath@sercoassurance.com