One of the enduring frustrations of being a technology enthusiast is that the broad claims made on stage during industry events are rarely matched by reality. And both Microsoft and Google are guilty this month of overpromising and under-delivering on a Utopian future that we may never really see.

Like many things, this reminds me of the movie Spaceballs, which spoofed Star Wars in the 1980's to great effect. At one point, two of the goofy villains in the movie, Dark Helmet (a humorous take on Darth Vader, played by Rick Moranis) and Colonel Sandurz (George Wyner), take advantage of "instant cassettes" technology to see the future of the movie they're in.