Live Free or Die!

Last weekend I was driving behind a Chevrolet Malibu with a New Hampshire license plate. As I examined the familiar New Hampshire tag line, "Live Free or Die", my mind drifted to General Motors, the state of our economy, and finally wafted on to freedom...

Currently, General Motors is racing to reinvent themselves while simultaneously working to avoid a financial meltdown. Amazingly, the entire future of their enterprise rests on the success of a new product: a high mileage, electric-gas hybrid car named the Chevy Volt. It wasn't too long ago that GM was the largest company in the U.S. and  the familiar saying "as GM goes, so goes the United States" was coined. Robert Lutz, GM's Vice Chairman of Global Product Development, is betting the revival of his company on newfangled technology - let's hope it works. But, GM and it's employees are not the only Americans feeling the pressure in this down economy.

During this presidential election year your retirement fund, the stock market, and our personal budgets have all suffered devastating losses. As a direct result, consumer holiday spending in brick and mortar stores is expected to be the lowest in years. Despite weakening consumer confidence, online sales are continuing to rise, with a projected increase of 9% over last year. Overall, the United States is still the largest economy in the world - when we sneeze, inevitably the rest of the globe catches a cold.  As Mark Twain wrote in Following the Equator, "The autocrat of Russia possesses more power than any other man on earth; but he cannot stop a sneeze." The great news is a common cold, like a struggling economy, only lasts a short time and rarely does it kill you. Colds are stubborn things, but like autocrats they come and go.

Driving behind that Chevy, my last thought was of our freedom of choice. We are fortunate to have been born in the United States at a time of great prosperity and technological revolution. Our standard of living is the highest in the world. So during this financial turmoil and confusion maybe we should all remain positive and remember to be thankful for what we have.

Tortus Talk

Tortus Technologies Announces New Mobile Mail Features!

Mobile Mail, our web-based email interface, has been updated to include a sleek new look and an easy to navigate layout. The new Mobile Mail is designed to allow effortless email management  from any location with Internet access. Mobile Mail is offered to Tortus' hosting clients and has been a popular application for the last 12 years. Experience the new Mobile Mail for yourself! Simply login from the Tortus homepage.

Upcoming Seminar

Web Enlightenment

Wednesday, October 22nd, 2008 from 9:00 a.m. - 10:30 a.m.

Join us for a free web assessment! We will review your site and share ideas that will help grow your web presence. Meet local business associates while learning the key components of every website.

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.