See, I would agree with you on the first thing, but it's what Brandon was plotting ever since the Final Empire. Thaidakar has a big role in the cosmere, and even though that hasn't been fulfilled yet doesn't mean it doesn't exist.
As for the second thing, I think it's probably going to be used for something in KoW (and/or later on), since they were going on about how it would "change the state of war" yada yada yada. But if it isn't, then I'll probably agree with you on that.