Exploring the development of multidisciplinary methods and tools to support the integration of technology, organization and people, this volume contains papers presented at the 4th Conference on Human Aspects of Advanced Manufacturing and Hybrid Automation, held in Manchester in July 1994.
Paul T Kidd was born in Yorkshire in the UK and is an author and writer, an independent researcher and policy analyst, a chartered engineer, a Fellow of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, a Fellow of the Institution of Engineering and Technology, and a Senior Member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers.
Paul is a very experienced writer having, since taking up writing in the 1980s, undertaken a significant amount of technical writing and copy editing. He has written: newspaper and magazine articles; research papers; reports, chapters for edited books; manuals; leaflets and brochures; press releases; speeches; scripts; management reports; and books. Paul has produced work for the Financial Times, the European Commission and leading imprints such as Addison Wesley. He started writing fiction in 2001 and has written a number of novels, but so far only published one of these. More will be published from 2012 onwards.
In his technology and engineering related work, Paul addresses topics related to the development of research strategy and policy, mostly connected with sustainable development. He is working on a number of non-fiction books in this subject area.
His insights into and his concerns about the mind-sets of many scientists, engineers, technologists, policymakers and business people, and their continued reliance on the application of the thinking and approaches that have led the world to its present predicament, has motivated him to begin to address these matters in his works of fiction. Through the use of fiction he aims to open the eyes of the citizens of the world to the inevitable outcome of the path that humanity is currently following, and to show that there is an alternative road; one that is built on human-centered science, engineering and technology; one that leads all to a much happier world and lifestyle.
Too many people have been misled into thinking that there is no alternative to our present path of development. To question science, engineering and technology is today, to commit the same heresy once associated with challenging the belief that the Earth is at the centre of the universe. Within Paul's works therefore, you will see an exploration of matters that relate to choice in the way humanity lives, and a bringing to the fore of the spiritual side of life (in the widest sense of this term - not necessarily religious), which is increasingly being pushed aside in favor of a materialistic and greed-driven (what is euphemistically referred to as Economic Growth) civilization. The result is a soulless world where what matters most is money and possessions, but which is, as most people deep within them know, unsustainable.
People need to starting thinking and talking more about these matters and to look to move human civilization forward instead of remaining in the time warp in which they are now trapped. Watch out for future publications!
