88% Robot & Frank

All Critics (58) | Top Critics (28) | Fresh (51) | Rotten (7)

It may not seem like an even playing field pitting an actor as powerfully intense as Frank Langella opposite a robot, but that's the game plan behind the waywardly endearing, slightly futuristic fantasy Robot & Frank.

Much of Robot & Frank is (frankly) resistible, including the climactic narrative twist, but there is also a likeable oddness that transcends the sentimental contrivance.

An endearing movie about a human and his mechanical new buddy.

Just about the time that Robot starts to grow on his curmudgeonly client, so may this movie -- a sci-fi fantasia that's surprisingly sweet and old-fashioned -- win over any skeptics.

Turns out to be a hard, funny and realistic movie about the future.

Charming, playful and sly, it makes us believe that a serene automaton and a snappish human being can be best friends forever.

Amusing and ingratiating, leaving a bittersweet afterglow

Smart and sweet, Robot and Frank feels familiar while you're watching it yet consistently finds ways to catch you off-guard.

Further proof that sci-fi need not be high-budget spectacle, and can actually do a good little job exploring the human condition, our characters, and our memories.

Frank Langella's presence would be enough to pique my interest in any film. Robot & Frank offers him a modest starring vehicle with a science-fiction spin, and the result is one of the most enjoyable indie films of the year.

Blessed with artistry bordering on magic, Langella carries the film.

Robot & Frank settles for what it is, a short, slight story, sweetly told and gently and believably acted.

A bittersweet, quietly hilarious buddy caper that deserves to be the sleeper hit of the summer.

Cold-staring with a black, reflective visor, a robot helps a fading old man to see life, and himself, more clearly.

In a traditionally excellent, subtle performance, Langella embodies a man recapturing his purpose.

More Critic Reviews

Source: http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/robot_and_frank/

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Selecting Suitable Phone Systems For Your Business | Internet ...

The communications process for any company in existence today is a crucial component of keeping up with daily operations. There is a wealth of options available to businesses that are concerned with this need in order to remain connected with one another as well as their consumers on a regular basis. Companies looking to make this particular decision should be versed in choosing from great phone systems for business to help fulfill their needs.

Telecommunications and specifically tailored phone systems are now an integral part of the daily needs for any company today. These are usually technologies that are sourced out from popular companies like Cisco and Commander that are all able to help provide the specific layers of communications features that companies need. There are many instances where this choice can be quite difficult for any company to sort through.

The industry of providers and various offerings made available to companies is actually quite vast and comprehensive to sort through. There are numerous companies that are unsure of how to make an effective selection from such a vast amount of options. Weighing in numerous considerations in this process helps anyone make this choice in an efficient manner.

The actual category in which the company operates within is always a significant format of consideration to weigh in. The operating categories are known to require different types of technology to fully suit the needs of the particular business. There are even numerous categories of plans and features that are traditionally offered to businesses that operate in all kinds of markets.

Any technology under consideration should be fully scalable and easily modified by the company as needed. The scalability feature often sought after helps ensure that the entire system is able to adapt to the needs of the business while keeping the entire technology as large or small as is needed. This allows the company to expand and contract to meet their revenue needs.

Most companies are also focused on the idea of being able to monitor all data and calls that are placed to the company on a regular basis. Data management is traditionally performed for quality and training reasons which make each interaction as effective as possible. This monitoring feature should be offered from a comprehensive and easy to operate website.

Deciding from great phone systems for business is inclusive of a price assessment. The monthly fees that are required of any business to pay out can be quite large and difficult to manage on a monthly basis. Finding the most affordable rates possible is always a best practice to consider as needed.

Today?s author Ruben Alker supplies and installs phone systems for business in Brisbane and on the Gold Coast. For more information on the most suitable telephone system for your business jump over to www.hipcom.com.au

Source: http://www.internettoddler.com/selecting-suitable-phone-systems-for-your-business/

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My latest run-in with the blue shirt brain trust (Unqualified Offerings)

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Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/243617874?client_source=feed&format=rss

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Total Vibration ? Blog Archive ? Make Acquiring Insurance policy ...

Insurance coverage handles you financially in the course of an illness, tragedy, or even an automobile accident. Various kinds of insurance coverage really exist that will help guard you in numerous ways. Insurance coverage can include issues starting from your property, your car or truck, your life, as well as novelty things such as pets or collectible goods. Insurance coverage will assist you to take care of charges linked to accidents and crisis situations. Keep reading right here to obtain some knowledge on the various types of insurance policies you can buy and ways to reap the benefits of them.

Try bundling your guidelines with one particular organization to economize. By way of example, you might be able to make sure both an automobile and motorcycle for the marked down fixed rate. Many insurers have a variety of home owner protection options. You ought to however, always be certain the insurance plan you get fits your needs.

In case you have something relating to your coverage, however, you can?t find it inside the imitate of your insurance policy that you have available, call your representative. Consult with them over the phone, and inform them what your concerns are. They probably hold the answers to the queries you might have and they are generally delighted to assist.

It is a good idea to determine whether your condition provides selling price comparisons of various insurance companies. The state insurance plan division can give you a standard breakdown of insurance charges. You will be able to get the best selling price on insurance policy by knowing this information.

Analysis insurance companies and acquire rates online to check coverage and locate the best fees. As a result an informed buyer, and you may have the knowledge to be aware what the appropriate price ought to be when the determination creating time arrives. On the web rates are certainly not recognition. The insurance carriers will still ask you to fill in software and consider health care examinations.

To save cash with your insurance coverage, try looking around. It will be possible to locate sites that may offer free of charge quotations, and in addition let you examine various firms and coverages.

In case you are running a small business, you should ensure that all your insurance policy options are covered. Check around to get a coverage that includes all problems connected with your sort of company.

As stated at the beginning of the article, there are numerous varieties of insurance coverage accessible. With a little luck you might have discovered ways for you to protect your self and/or your home that you simply hadn?t considered prior to. Experiencing insurance policy gives you item of brain that within the sad function of the tragedy, health issues, or crash, your household will likely be protected, and a bit more well prepared.

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Source: http://blog.thorsrubberhammer.com/2012/08/make-acquiring-insurance-policy-much-easier-by-making-use-of-these-guidelines-6/

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Large Law Firm Wins with ShoreTel Unified Communications ...

11 AM on August 27, 2012By: Liz Pedro, Customer Programs Manager

ShoreTel?s at the International Legal Technology Association (ILTA) conference this week. (Come by and visit us at booth #226!)

As noted last week, law firms around the world are finding a competitive edge by replacing business-as-usual with new thinking, and choosing ShoreTel to handle their integrated business communication ? including Burr & Forman, firm of ILTA regional vice president for the southeast region, David Michel.

Burr & Forman, LLP is a full-service law firm with nearly 250 attorneys, several hundred support staff, and offices in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, and Tennessee. Its lawyers are regularly recognized among The Best Lawyers in America, and the firm is noted as one of the nation?s top law firms and best places to work.

Burr & Forman has diverse workforce needs, with some employees used to physical desk phones for handling calls, and a new generation of staffers who prefer using flexible tools such as instant messaging and softphones. Each of the eight offices had a separate phone system and the firm was using various voicemail applications.

Burr & Forman selected a ShoreTel UC Solution designed with simplicity in and complexity out. The solution includes ShoreTel Communicator, the ShoreTel Conference Bridge, and ShoreTel Web Dialer for online click-and-dial ease. To deploy optimum performance across the installation design, Burr & Forman enlisted ShoreTel Implementation Services.

And Michel added a five-year ShoreTel Enterprise Support contract for post-implementation support. The ShoreTel implementation included 700 licenses across all eight offices for 525 users and multiple conference rooms, with particular emphasis on use of the ShoreTel core software and softphone capabilities.

The ShoreTel system was tested and operational in six weeks. The benefits have included:

• Return on investment in 26 months
• 80% cost savings on long-distance charges
• Flexibility and ease of use for meeting users? diverse work needs
• High availability and rapid disaster recovery with N+1 redundancy
• Expanded capabilities for reducing workloads and improving productivity including instant messaging
• Architecture to support our plan to go to an all softphone deployment

?We chose ShoreTel for its ease of use, simplicity, disaster recovery, and cost savings. And for a 60-month purchase, we calculated ROI at 26 months?impressive. ShoreTel has changed how people work at Burr & Forman. We now have tools in place to help us work more effectively and increase productivity?
- David S. Michel, Chief Information Officer, Burr & Forman

David Michel serves as the firm?s Chief Information Officer where he is responsible for the firm?s technology infrastructure, assisting in the development of the firm?s technology strategy, and for the delivery of technology services and litigation support to all of Burr?&?Forman?s offices.

Categories: Customer Experiences, Unified Communications

Tags: Burr & Forman, ILTA, law firm, legal industry

Source: http://blog.shoretel.com/2012/08/large-law-firm-wins-with-shoretel-unified-communications/

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Florida prepares for Tropical Storm Isaac on eve of GOP convention

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) ? The site of the National Republican Convention showed no signs of a coming deluge Saturday, even as the approaching Tropical Storm Isaac sent officials across the state into full-scale preparation mode.

Streets were already shut down around the Tampa Bay Times Forum, where former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney will accept his party's presidential nomination Thursday night. Law enforcement milled about downtown, and some protests already were under way. One group protesting homelessness and the housing crisis "took over" a foreclosed home by cleaning the yard and planned to help a homeless couple move in.

So far, most people attending the convention seemed to be brushing off any notion of danger, even though Gov. Rick Scott had declared a state of emergency. A hurricane warning had been issued for the Florida Keys, and officials warned tourists to leave. Forecast models show Isaac won't hit Tampa head-on, but the storm will still likely lash the city with rain and strong winds just as the convention ramps up.

"I told some of my Democratic friends, 'We are the storm, baby, we are the thunder,'" said Steve Linder, whose business is planning all events for the Michigan delegation. Linder added, smiling, "and it ain't gonna stop until November."

Dianne Joachim of New Richmond, Wis., was in town for her first convention ? and vowed not to let Isaac ruin it.

"I just figure God's got this," she said as she arrived at her downtown hotel.

The governor said during a media briefing that delegates were being told how to stay safe during a storm, and officials were ready for storm surge, bridge closures and other problems that could arise during the convention. He also said he was in close communication with local, state and federal agencies, as well as convention officials.

"We are a hospitality state. We know how to take care of people and we want to ensure their safety," Scott said Saturday.

Isaac was blamed for at least three deaths after dousing flood-prone Haiti and was expected to scrape eastern Cuba on Saturday. It was forecast to hit the Keys late Sunday or early Monday, and it then could bring stormy conditions to Florida's west coast before moving to the Panhandle.

Isaac was expected to pass over the Keys as a hurricane late Sunday or early Monday. There, preparations had begun in earnest. Richie Moretti, founder of the Sea Turtle Hospital in Marathon, Fla., noted that Hurricane Wilma was initially expected to come ashore as a Category 1 hurricane, the weakest classification.

"It took out the motel, the hospital, the docks, and all the boats. So, I don't take anything for granted. If there's a storm coming, I don't care what number they give it. We're going to batten down and be ready," he said.

Yet the storm was days away from the Panhandle. It was sunny and breezy on the beach Saturday in Pensacola, with people out strolling and playing in the sand. Condo associations told people to move furniture inside, but full-scale preparations hadn't yet begun. Waves weren't yet big enough for surfers.

When the storm hits, strong winds will be "enough to knock you over" and produce severe thunderstorms, said National Hurricane Center spokesman Dennis Feltgen.

Storm surge and tornadoes also are possible when Isaac hits, and winds could topple power lines and lead to lengthy power outages, Feltgen said. The Panhandle already has had a wet summer, so potential flooding was especially possible there.

Schools, airports, parks and beaches across South Florida closed ahead of the storm. In the Florida Keys, officials said they would open storm shelters and urged vacationers to leave. State officials warned Isaac was a massive storm ? even though the eye may not pass over Tampa, tropical storm-force winds extended 230 miles from the center.

Officials were handing out sandbags to residents in the Tampa area, which often floods when heavy rainstorms hit. Sandbags also were being handed out in Homestead, 20 years after Hurricane Andrew devastated the community there. Otherwise, however, convention preparations were moving ahead as usual.

Police said even heavy rain could reduce the protesters' ranks, and could also bring relief from another worry: extreme heat.

___

Associated Press writers Suzette Laboy in Miami and Tony Winton in Marathon, Fla., contributed to this report.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/fla-prepares-isaac-eve-gop-convention-151829570.html

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Ken Garen, CPA, Co-Founder and President, UBCC

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FCC eyes tax on Internet serviceBy Brendan Sasso???? - 08/26/12 06:00 AM ETThe Federal Communications Commission is eyeing a proposal to tax broadband Internet service.The move would funnel money to the Connect America Fund, a subsidy the agency created last year to expand Internet access.The FCC issued a request for comments on the proposal in April. Dozens of companies and trade associations have weighed in, but the issue has largely flown under the public's radar. "If members of Congress understood that the FCC is contemplating a broadband tax, they'd sit up and take notice," said Derek Turner, research director for Free Press, a consumer advocacy group that opposes the tax.Numerous companies, including AT&T, Sprint and even Google have expressed support for the idea.Consumers already pay a fee on their landline and cellular phone bills to support the FCC's Universal Service Fund. The fund was created to ensure that everyone in the country has access to telephone service, even if they live in remote areas.Last year, the FCC overhauled a $4.5 billion portion of the Universal Service Fund and converted it into a broadband Internet subsidy, called the Connect America Fund. The new fund aims to subsidize the construction of high-speed Internet networks to the estimated 19 million Americans who currently lack access. Julius Genachowski, the FCC's chairman, has made expanding broadband access his top priority. He argues that a high-speed Internet connection is critical for succeeding in the 21st century economy and that expanding Internet access is the country's next great infrastructure challenge.But the money for the new Internet subsidy is still coming from the fees on phone bills.And in recent years, with more people sending emails instead of making long-distance phone calls, the money flowing into the program has begun to dry up. The Universal Service fee has had to grow to a larger and larger portion of phone bills to compensate.The FCC floated a number of ideas for reforming the fund's contribution system. In addition to the broadband fee, the commission also sought comments on taxing text messages, as well as levying a flat fee on each phone line, instead of the current system, which is based on a portion of the revenue from interstate phone calls.The commission only sought input on the ideas and did not indicate whether it planned to move ahead with any of them, including the broadband fee.When the FCC released its proposal, Genachowski issued a statement saying the current contribution system is outdated and full of loopholes."Today we propose three goals for contribution reform: efficiency, fairness, and sustainability," Genachowski said. "And we underscore that any reforms to the contribution system must safeguard core Commission objectives, including the promotion of broadband innovation, investment, and adoption."In its filing, Google argued that the evidence "strongly supports expanding the [Universal Service Fund] contribution base to include broadband Internet access services."According to Google, taxing broadband service is preferable to taxing the kinds of online services it offers, like email or Google Voice."Saddling these offerings with new, direct USF contribution obligations is likely to restrict innovative options for all communications consumers and cause immediate and lasting harm to the users, pioneers, and innovators of Internet-based services," Google argued.But Turner argued that imposing a fee on broadband access, even if it is only a dollar or two, would discourage many people from buying the service?the exact opposite outcome of what the FCC is trying to achieve."For folks who are thinking about adopting broadband, who have much lower incomes or don't value broadband as much?that extra dollar on the margins will cause millions of people... to not adopt," Turner said.The FCC could run into legal problems with the Internet Tax Freedom Act, a 1998 law that bans the government from taxing Internet access. But the FCC has long argued that Universal Service is a fee that the providers choose to pass on to consumers and not a tax.Turner said it is unlikely that the FCC will make any controversial moves before November's election."I don't anticipate that the chairman would move to adopt a drastic overhaul ahead of the election," he said.

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Source: http://ubcckengaren.blogspot.com/2012/08/fcc-eyes-tax-on-internetservice-by.html

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