But Ballmer demonstrated a new Microsoft media player that can 'intelligently' cut stops in the action. He showed how, with the click of a mouse, the program could quickly edit a Seattle Mariners game from nearly two hours to just over five minutes.

Ballmer said this type of technology would not only be useful for entertainment purposes.

Remembering his own years at Harvard--and the classes he cut--Ballmer guessed that students would be much more likely to watch videos of skipped classes if this kind of convenient time-saving technique were at their fingertips.

Earlier in the speech, Ballmer brought the audience back with him to his first year, displaying a slide of his and Gates' facebook pictures side by side.

Since that time, Ballmer has maintained his connection to Harvard, serving first on the Board of Overseers and now as co-chair of the Class of 1977.

Ballmer said that both he and Gates are now glad to have a part in shaping the future of computer science at Harvard.

"We desire to see Harvard be the greatest place in the world for computer science," Ballmer said.