ALL MATERIAL COPYRIGHT KEVIN SCOTT 2011. LINKS TO THIS SITE ARE WELCOME BUT DO NOT COPY MATERIAL FROM THIS SITE TO ANY OTHER WEBPAGE.
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"I am a professional scientist, but I have never given up being an amateur scientist too. The question is how much high quality science can I do in my garage? The answer is quite a lot. In fact I use high-vacuum and laser technology, gas and liquid chromatography, various forms of spectroscopy, metal smelting, glass-blowing, smart electronics, computing, arc and spot welding, forging and blacksmithing, milling and turning, grinding and lapping, to the extent that I am coming to believe there is practically nothing technical or scientific that I can't do in my garage! Of course, I admit there are some things that are beyond my reach, mostly because of scale: CERN-scale particle research I concede is beyond me. And of course, I don't try to make everything from scratch - I use the scientific and technological infra-structure available. I used to make my own printed circuit boards, but now find it relatively inexpensive to use a specialist firm.
I find the possibilities that are presented to me are limited only by my imagination and creativity. The hardware in my garage was not expensive - all second-hand and some needing repair. But with it I find I reach the coal-face of scientific invention: the limitations are in my head, not in the technology available to me - so I'm not blaming my tools or their absence!"
We are committed to safeguarding the privacy of our website visitors; this policy sets out how we will treat your personal information.
(1) What information do we collect?
We may collect, store and use only the information you supply on registration
(2) Using your personal information:
Personal information submitted to us via this website will be used for the purposes specified in this privacy policy or in relevant parts of the website.
We may use your personal information to:
(a) administer the website;
(b) improve your browsing experience by personalising the website;
(c) send you specific (non-marketing) commercial communications;
(d) send you email notifications which you have specifically requested;
(e) send you our newsletter and other marketing communications relating to our business or the businesses of carefully-selected third parties which we think may be of interest to you, by post or, where you have specifically agreed to this, by email or similar technology (and you can inform us at any time if you no longer require marketing communications);
(f) deal with enquiries and comments made by or about you relating to the website;
(g) keep the website secure and prevent fraud;
(3) Disclosures
We may disclose your personal information to [any of our employees, officers, agents, suppliers or subcontractors] insofar as reasonably necessary for the purposes set out in this privacy policy.
In addition, we may disclose your personal information:
(a) to the extent that we are required to do so by law;
(b) in connection with any ongoing or prospective legal proceedings;
(c) in order to establish, exercise or defend our legal rights (including providing information to others for the purposes of fraud prevention and reducing credit risk);
(d) to the purchaser (or prospective purchaser) of any business or asset that we are (or are contemplating) selling; and,
(e) to any person who we reasonably believe may apply to a court or other competent authority for disclosure of that personal information where, in our reasonable opinion, such court or authority would be reasonably likely to order disclosure of that personal information.
Except as provided in this privacy policy, we will not provide your information to third parties.
(4) International data transfers
Information that we collect may be stored and processed in and transferred between any of the countries in which we operate in order to enable us to use the information in accordance with this privacy policy.
Information which you provide may be transferred to countries which do not have data protection laws equivalent to those in force in the European Economic Area.
You expressly agree to such transfers of personal information.
(5) Security of your personal information
We will take reasonable technical and organisational precautions to prevent the loss, misuse or alteration of your personal information.
The personal information you provide will be stored on secure (password- and firewall-protected) servers.
You acknowledge that the transmission of information over the internet is inherently insecure, and we cannot guarantee the security of data sent over the internet.
(6) Policy amendments
We may update this privacy policy from time to time by posting a new version on our website. You should check this page occasionally to ensure you are happy with any changes.
(7) Your rights
You may instruct us to provide you with any personal information we hold about you. Provision of such information will be subject to:
(a) the payment of a fee (currently fixed at GBP 10); and
(b) the supply of appropriate evidence of your identity (for this purpose, we will usually accept a photocopy of your passport certified by a solicitor or bank plus an original copy of a utility bill showing your current address).
We may withhold such personal information to the extent permitted by law.
You may instruct us not to process your personal information for marketing purposes. In practice, you will usually either expressly agree in advance to our use of your personal information for marketing purposes, or we will provide you with an opportunity to opt out of the use of your personal information for marketing purposes.
(8) Third party websites
The website contains links to other websites. We are not responsible for the privacy policies or practices of third party websites.
(9) Updating information
Please let us know if the personal information which we hold about you needs to be corrected or updated.
(10) Contact
If you have any questions about this privacy policy or our treatment of your personal information, please write to us by email to the email address published on the site or by post to the postal address published on the site.