Google's Vision of the Future: Convenience With a Cost

If opening musical numbers are any indication, Google wanted to make sure everyone knew it was going to be a mind-blowing yet quirky day right from the start. After two years holed up in San Francisco's Moscone Center, Google's annual I/O developer conference kicked off outside on Wednesday, in a white-tented amphitheater on the company's campus in Mountain View. To begin, two musicians, placed in what looked like giant crows' nests, played strings that ran the length of the forum, stretching from their perches to the metalwork above the stage where Google CEO Sundar Pichai would soon appear. The tune was a number by Yann Tiersen, whose jaunty French folk music has found a wide and loving audience through films like Amélie. The video that followed took that vibe and gave it a Four Loko.