I love the videos Microsoft makes showing their vision for the future: roboto-Bill Gates ravaging the landscape shooting lasers from his eyes and leveling buildings with shoulder mounted missile launchers… /sigh… good stuff.

Actually, I find their videos on how school, work and life might work to be quite enthralling (despite being shockingly depopulated — perhaps they simply depict the 2023 forced “retirement” of anyone unable to afford a smartphone).

I’m not sure why they do this other than just give futurists a “SQUEE!” But, they do and I love them for it. Squee!

Here’s the latest one titled “Productivity Future Vision (2011)”

It’s a bit more whackadoo than their Office Labs Vision 2019: containing holograms coming off the screen combined with (still awkward) Kinect type controls. But, hey, you can continue to follow the adventures of business-mom (same actress as in the prior video) who still hasn’t found her way home (she’s now in Johannesburg). Ah well, maybe by 2040.

This isn’t a dig against moms who work. Just that usually if a company wants to show you an idealized future, they who how technology improves work/life balance; not keeping you continents away from your family. But, at least there’s pie!

via Gizmodo.