Hi, I'm UncleKensson, or Colin if you prefer.

The Real Me

I was born at the posh end of Glasgow, Scotland in a place called Edinburgh, in 1977. I grew up (in the least mature sense of the world) near Bicester in England but escaped as soon as possible to go to university in St Andrews.

Once I got there, I studied Mathematics with French, including a year's study in Avignon, France. I specialised in Applied Mathematics, particularly the study of the Sun. After gaining a 2:1, I stayed on to do a Ph.D. in Solar Physics. I currently work as a researcher at Montana State University in Bozeman, Montana.

The Other Me

I also perform as a singer-songwriter under the name Kensson. My songs can loosely be categorised as political folk; my idols include Bob Dylan, Billy Bragg and Phil Ochs.

Projects, interests, etc

My current fascination is with science undertaken in the 10th-13th centuries by Arabian scholars (see Islamic Golden Age as a starting point), and I'm hoping to write a pop-science/history book on the topic.

I mainly use wikipedia for finding formulae and notes on physical problems. Most recently I've been trying to work out the physics of gold panning, and devising Ingenious Devices to improve the process while not using machines.