Tortus January Newsletter

January 14, 2009

January 5, 2009: The venerable Waterford Wedgewood company declares bankruptcy. Another entry on a long list of reputable companies falling to the wayside. What are you doing to set your business apart from the Waterford's of the World? As you ponder, here's some interesting historical trivia and a mystery to be solved. Read along and see if you can figure it out...

Who's Charley?

Let me introduce Robert FitzRoy: an English born Vice-Admiral who was a well-educated, avid reader and an experienced sea captain. Robert was an eccentric, outgoing, devoutly religious soul, who was quirky and somewhat ill tempered. He was planning a two-year scientific voyage and began inquiring around town for a suitable traveling companion.

Robert didn't want just any ole' companion. He needed a partner with time to spare, who shared his devout Christian beliefs, and of course, a gentleman of comparable status and class. FitzRoy especially looked forward to sharing lengthy conversations about the Bible and Christianity while out at sea.

After an exhaustive search, FitzRoy found someone who he thought was the perfect candidate: a 22-year-old Unitarian named Charles. Charles had recently graduated from Christ's College in Cambridge England and was looking for a little adventure before he committed to a lifelong profession. Charles' willingness for the long-term departure combined with his well-to-do family, made him a perfect fit for FitzRoy. However, Charles' father thought taking off on a silly voyage for two years was a complete waste of time. But Charles had somebody looking out for him. It just so happens that Charles was the nephew of Josiah Wedgewood, from the second generation of Wedgewood china fame. It was Josiah who convinced Charles' father that the trip would be a fine idea for a young man itching for adventure.

Charles' father had reason to be concerned about his son. Although Charles enjoyed reading from an early age, he didn't like to study much. In fact, because of his laziness his father decided to apprentice him to a cobbler. Charles envisioned a life of mending musty old shoes and quickly agreed to become a better student. Much to his father's delight he agreed to go college, study hard and become a doctor. Continue reading....

Tortus Talk

One of the perks of working at a web-based company is browsing the Internet under the guise that we're "working" (We kid! Have you seen what we've been up to lately?). Recently, our staff was captivated by a youtube video that really puts these changing times into perspective. We invite you to check it out and let us know what you think!

Upcoming Seminar

Are you Marketeching in 2009?

Wednesday, January 21^st, 2009 from 9:00 a.m. - 10:30 a.m.

Tortus is proud to offer this seminar in conjunction with our new neighbors, Market Mentors, a full service Marketing, Advertising, and Public Relations firm.

Are your Marketing and Technology initiatives syncing to their potential? Learn how to stretch your budget by integrating your current marketing strategies with the technology of tomorrow.

This seminar will be held at the offices of Tortus Technologies in West Springfield, Massachusetts.
Seating is limited (15 per seminar) and available on a first-come first-serve basis. Email us today to sign up.