Articles written by Siah Klootchman

What is Helium

About me - Siah Klootchman

Unsurprisingly, forty years in the wilderness of Cascadia has given SK a lot of pragmatic pioneer skills, a relaxed libertarian attitude, a plaid wardrobe, and a caffeine habit.

+ more bio information

RSS Feed

Health & Fitness > Autism Autism's possible status as an epidemic: 1 of 16
Autism is not an "epidemic" or any sort of disease, it's part of the evolution of human consciousness and abilities. Autism often comes with superhuman abilities and gifts as well as the more commonly recognized social disabilities and sensory limitations.Obviously that is not the mainstream view, and is often seen as inadver... More..
Education > High School Math & Sciences Why Americans lag behind other countries in math proficiency: 1 of 16
In 2008, US Fed Chairman Alan Greenspan said that "skills versus non-skills" would make an increasingly growing difference in world economies. He grimly observed that US students are still near the bottom of the developed world in math and science ability.Perhaps instead of blaming schools, curriculum or teachers, our leaders... More..
Entertainment > Music Business How to rehearse effectively with a rock band: 2 of 13
"Effective" band practice means there is a shared, desired goal in mind. Ask every band member what they want for both the band and themselves as musicians. Get specific. Do you want to play live? Record? Party like the proverbial rock stars and get lots of action? All of the above? Prioritize what is the goal, and you will b... More..
Entertainment > Musical Instruments On learning to play the fiddle at any age: A fiddler's tale: 1 of 5
The genealogy hobby brought me to the fiddle at age 46.It wasn't my first encounter with the ancient and respected violin family of instruments. There had been a few years playing cello in the school orchestra. A junior-year switch to string bass led to weekend gigs in bluegrass bands. Connections in the music community then ... More..
Entertainment > Musicians & Bands Who are the best bass players?: 8 of 22
Who are the best bass players?The question is quite broad and could be answered from many perspectives, not limited to mass-market popularity, technical ability, showmanship, compositional quality or an innovative playing style. Often "best" is cultural shorthand for popularity-contest fan-level evaluation based simply on bei... More..
Health & Fitness > Autism How to help your autistic child: 4 of 8
One key way to help autistic children (all autistics, actually) is to really try and understand the world from their perspective in an effort to build understanding for all involved, rather than simply rush headlong into misguided attempts at behavior modification. Food and eating are often a great source of contention and co... More..