Microsoft says Office 365 is better than, um, a remote helicopter

It's hard to dramatize the cloud.

A nebulous concept at best, the cloud makes people's pulse race like a tortoise's.

So Microsoft, in order to make its Office 365 seems like a pulsating thing, decided it must make a joke or two.

A new ad launched this week puts the action in an office. Clever branding, that. This particular office is populated by slightly sad male nerds who prefer to terrorize co-workers by sending data by remote helicopter.

Perhaps your office is not dissimilar. Men with toys can be dangerous boys.

Here, those not enamored of this peculiarly boyish practice cower as the flying plastic machine annoys them and scatters their papers. In this office, they still have papers.

The action is brought down to earth when the boss emerges, catches the helicopter and reminds her underlings that Office 365 has bypassed the need for indoor aviation data transfer.

The boss is, quite naturally, a woman.

There will be those of a mischievous mien who will wonder whether, given Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella's less than karmic views about equal pay, she asked for a raise before reaching her exalted position.

I'm guessing she did. More than once.