Klatha.com Community Computing

Klatha.com Community Computing provides computer & internet consulting services. The clients we focus on are small businesses, community organizations, artists, and arts institutions.

We provide two separate kinds of consulting services for our clients: services related to developing web sites and services related to supporting internal systems.

Every organization's needs are different. We've built a versatile suite of website services that can serve the needs of every organization, from the simplest to the most complex. These services include site development, site promotion, and hosting.

We've developed a group of software tools to augment static web sites. Our web site toolbox includes e-commerce tools, content management tools, and community tools.

We also provide a wide variety of services to support the operational needs of our clients. These include training, support, and custom software development.

Our strong communication skills set us apart from many other computer consulting organizations. We won't confuse you with technical jargon, and we can communicate well on your behalf.

We have a strong understanding of the needs of our clients. Our services are ideal for artists, community organizations, and small businesses, because we understand how these clients do their work. We're used to working within tight budgets to meet our clients' unique needs.

Klatha.com is a home-based business, located in the Mount Airy section of Philadelphia, PA. While our largest group of clients is in the greater Philadelphia area, we are happy to work with non-local clients.

Please contact us for more information.

Staff

David Chaplin-Loebell started Klatha.com Community Computing in 1995, to help small businesses, community organizations, and artists use technology more effectively. David is a graduate of Bard College, a small liberal-arts college in New York's Hudson Valley, and a lifetime resident of Mt. Airy in northwest Philadelphia. David's wide range of experience has prepared him uniquely to serve the computing needs of community-based organizations and businesses. He's worked extensively with online service companies such as Prospero Technologies, Netscape Communications, and Electric Minds, giving him knowledge of what works on the web and what doesn't. He has worked as a business writer and as a teacher, and he brings the skills of those professions to work on behalf of his clients. Finally, David has strong technical abilities and 10 years of experience working with computer technology. David's personal interests include theatre, technology in art and in education, and bicycling in the Wissahickon Valley. David's resume is available.

Mike Ciul handles the majority of the programming for Klatha's web toolbox. He joined Klatha in early 2001. He thinks this place is great because he can write Perl scripts and tinker with UNIX systems, but hardly ever has to touch a Windows machine or any JavaScript code. Programming is a hobby as well as a job for Mike. He is the current maintainer of XArchon, a Linux port of a popular 1980s computer game. Mike was a customer before he was an employee - Unsound is his musical project hosted by Klatha. As a member of the Green Party of Philadelphia, Mike has contributed a small amount of his otherwise wasted time planning their fine website. Mike also has a personal home page.

Dan Maloney provides Windows network administration services to our clients. He holds Microsoft's prestigious MCSE certification, manages corporate networks on a day-to-day basis, and teaches Windows 2000 and Net+ courses by night. His specialties include server administration and configuration, backup strategy design, network design and maintenance, and application administration.

Affiliations

Klatha.com is a member of the Mount Airy Business Association and we offer substantial discounts to MABA members. We are proud to be one of two companies working on the MABA online directory. Please visit our MABA members page for more information.

We are members of the Association for Community Networking. We support the Association's efforts to bring communities closer together through technology.

Last, but not least, we are an Authorized Reseller for Pair networks, a web hosting company located in Pittsburgh, PA. We have examined the web hosting field and we believe Pair provides the best combination of price, features, speed, and reliability for most websites. We are delighted to be able to offer their services to our clients directly.

Klatha?

The term "klatha" means "magic." It comes from James Schmitz's delightful novel, The Witches of Karres. In the book, the down-on-his-luck Captain Pausert rescues three young girls (Maleen, Goth, and The Leewit) from slavery, only to find out that they are practitioners of klatha magic from the forbidden planet of Karres. Pausert takes them back to Karres, but when he leaves, he discovers that one of them has stowed away on his ship. They travel around the galaxy using the klatha-powered Sheewash drive and end up fighting to save the galaxy from being taken over by the worm world. Unfortunately, The Witches of Karres is currently out of print.

David Chaplin-Loebell
dcl@klatha.com