Tortus Newsletter June 2010

June 16, 2010

Life without Oxygen? 

Is it possible to have life without oxygen?

The Earth's atmosphere is made up of 21% oxygen. At Tortus, we truly can't live without oxygen. In fact, we respect it so much that we named our workflow and business process software Oxygen after this essential component for life.

Oxygen is one of the indispensable components for our metabolism. We humans are an aerobic life form, with a power plant in our bodies made up of mitochondria, which are powered by oxygen in order to create the energy we need to live. While some organisms have been known to survive short-term in oxygen-deprived environments, it was believed that no complex life forms could survive utterly without oxygen. So the discovery of a complex life form that can is big news!

Until recently, scientists believed that anaerobic life forms (which exist in the absence of oxygen) could only be simple viruses, bacteria, and single-cell microorganisms. This now appears not to be true. This year, a group of Italian and Danish researchers discovered an anaerobic, multi-cellular complex life form in what Science News describes as "a briny sulfurous hellhole" off the south coast of Greece. What hardy creatures could possibly subsist in a place so inhospitable and little explored that finding them has been likened to "going to the moon to collect rocks"? Meet loricifera. Continue reading...

Tortus Talk

The New Footit Health Care Store Site is Live on the Web

Footit Health Care Store has been providing western Massachusetts and northern Connecticut with the largest selection of medical and health maintenance products since 1953. Footit Health Care Store stocks various styles of walkers, wheelchairs, athletic braces, incontinence products, scooters, access ramps, mastectomy forms and bras, lift chairs, stairway elevators, diabetic shoes, wound care, bath safety and so much more to help their customers maintain an independent lifestyle. Not only does Footit have a new website, their store at 340 Memorial Ave. in West Springfield, Mass. had a grand reopening with a floor-to-ceiling renovation last month!

Tortus is Hiring!

Web Applications Programmer

Tortus is seeking a dynamic, experienced web programmer to join our in-house team. This challenging position provides the opportunity to develop custom web applications in a cutting-edge environment. The programmer will collaborate with other team members to create new products and applications for the marketplace.

The ideal candidate will have experience integrating back-end programming with user-friendly interface design.We primarily develop in Rails and PostgreSQL, but also maintain sites built in HTML, Mason, ePerl, ASP and PHP. Experience in these applications is desired but not necessary.

We offer a competitive benefits package, as well as a positive, stimulating work environment. Salary is commensurate with experience. Please email your résumé and cover letter to: programmer_job@tortus.com

Upcoming Seminars

Reach Your Target Audience Using Social Networking

Wednesday, July 21, 2010, 9 to 10:30 a.m.

Back by popular demand! MySpace, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, LinkedIn, Flickr... you hear about them in the news, from associates, you may even be a member — but, are you using them to market your business?

Social networking can be a viable, cost-effective way to reach a large, targeted audience. Join us as we explore successful case studies from various businesses and leave with an understanding of the do's and don'ts of marketing your business...socially. 

Writing Content that Counts

Wednesday, August 25, 2010, 9 to 10:30 a.m.

Writing professional copy for your marketing materials is always a challenge, but writing for the web presents additional considerations. You want your web content to be engaging for your visitors, but at the same time it should follow web best practices to ensure your organization is found on Google and other search engines.

Join us as we take a look at web copy writing and learn how to write for all audiences. Topics will include using keywords for search engine optimization, website usability, design aspects, and keeping your content fresh.

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

Are You Smarter Than Tortus?

What is the dent or dimple on the bottom of a wine bottle called? Find out the answer here!