ABOUT...

MICROSCOPY UK
updated July 2019

Who are we?
We started out as 2 guys who wanted to see more science on the web. That was back in 1995. Today we are an informal group of writers, enthusiast microscopists, and 1 computer techy working together from different countries for free. We dedicate our skills towards promoting the study of the very small world around us - the microscopical world. We started very small but due to the loyalty of our visitors - our site is now one of the most visited microscopy sites in the world. This gives us an added responsibility to ensure it remains vibrant and caters for a diverse range of tastes and likes. Computers ruled when we started out. We have no resources to convert 20 years plus of work into mobile-friendly content. Sorry. But if you access us on a computer, you'll probably be getting it right about tools and accessing real information and you will be escaping the commercialism which heralded in the mobile phone idea instead of the original Internet idea of shared information for all. Mobile phones are great for a lot of things. Computers lend you power. Power to create, power to access information denied to you on a mobile phone. A pity, but that's the way it is. We make out site readable to computers which can present lots of information on the screen. It's old fashioned, but it works.


Archiving
The way back machine  is probably the best archiving entity on the web currently, and they regularly archive our pages.


Who pays for all this? Commercial Aspects!
Since the beginning, we had no commercial aim. We do receive a small sponsorship from Brunel Microscopes, a small family business in the UK, but this is only for links to our front page. Almost 99.9% of our site is advert free. Brunel are a trusted resource that has helped us succeed without control or loss of freedom to our principles.

Our magazine remains free of advertising and any services offered by our sponsors are considered to be supportive to the microscopical community. We are still evolving our microscopy presence and the costs in time and finances keep rising as the wealth of material, and its management, increases. We now seek to assist our funding by asking visitors to the site if they would make small donations.

Who is Onview.net Ltd.
With so much work achieved by so many contributors world-wide, it was necessary to ensure legal protection and responsibility for material published here. In late 1998, early 1999, one of the original founder's of this site (mol smith) decided to establish a web-based business and started Onview.net Ltd. Mic-UK and its publications are now under the protective wing - and primarily funded by - this entity. All the electronic versions of magazines produced by Mic-UK are produced as non-profit-making projects. Revenue from advertising our sponsors along with donated amounts from Onview.net Ltd is used to pay the cost of running Mic-UK. Any short-fall is made up by further donation from Onview.net Ltd. All donations received from visitors are held by Onview.net and are then used to fund Microscopy-UK and Micscape. Note: Onview.net Ltd is a not-for-profits entity running many art, science, and publishing projects with an aim to challenge conventional views on banking, corporate global control, and offer first seeds of alternative social goals.

On-line Store
Mic-UK now has an on-line store where resources can be purchased with confidence and securely. The store is enabled by Onview.net Ltd who ensure Mic-UK visitors receive a service second to none. Originally, the store was run entirely by Mic-UK but demand grew beyond our resources and an arrangement was made with a trusted associate - Brunel Microscopes - who now manage the store to ensure enthusiasts the world over receive a very friendly and efficient service. This mixture of commercial and  voluntary activity from our site can be confusing to people who perceive a notion of either one objective or the other. As an innovative site and presence, setting the pace for microscopy support Internationally, we develop many new ways and methods of doing things to enable us to support you more. So, please, be assured that Mic-UK and Onview.net Ltd are committed towards giving unprecedented support and towards achieving far-reaching objectives to widen the interest in this pursuit now and in the future!

What Magazines are published?
We publish a monthly magazine on line, called Micscape. We know thousands of people who use a microscope in a non-professional environment (like at home) explore a fantastic world. Until you see it too, you are missing the abundance of life on earth! This e-zine helps to promote the study of the small-scale world to enthusiast microscopists, professionals, and the public at large.

Our aim
Our site is a vibrant one with new things being added all of the time! It is also YOUR site. Tell us what you like and don't like. We are not getting paid for the all the work we put in; it is for love alone! Don't be shy of emailing us: it makes everything all worthwhile just to hear from you. We wish to excite and inspire others, to support microscopists around the globe, share information and help you share your work with others too.

How can you help
You can help in two ways: first of all, please bookmark us in your favourites. Secondly, why not contribute in even a small way. We live in a brave new age where computers and the technology they offer are revitalising light-microscopy. Maybe you are looking at the topic of microscopy for the first time. Do you see in other areas of computing how image creation techniques produce stunning representations of real-life objects. Imagine building a wireframe rotifer and rendering it in super-realistic light-ray rendering. Imagine working alongside other enthusiasts - each with a different and unique set of skills. What can be achieved if a computer artist, a micro-biologist, an author, a veteran enthusiast exchange information and build material together for publishing here working across their different areas of expertise? Want to find out? Then browse through a recent issue of Micscape Magazine and you will see what can be achieved!

Copyright
All material on this site is copyright of the contributors themselves. We will protect all contributors rights to material published here. If you wish to re-produce something from our site, please ask us about it first.

Changes
The internet constantly changes. New technologies, new devices, new ways of presenting information. We stick with what works and preserve real information so if you want to access all we offer, please do not expect a showy presentation. We thrive on truth not 'quick-appeal' and older tried and tested methods.

Our single point contact address, and numbers:-