Cloud-spotters storm out of the closet; If clear, sunny days are not your thing and overcast skies result in good vibes, don't worry, you are not alone, writes Joe Heim.(Dispatches)

From: The Sunday Independent (South Africa) | Date: September 3, 2006 | Copyright information

As metaphors, clouds are almost never good things. There are clouds of suspicion, clouds of anger, clouds on the horizon, cloudy judgments. Clouds loom, darken, threaten, menace. Clouds get in the way of our tan.

If ever a feature of nature was ripe for a PR makeover, clouds are it.

Enter Gavin Pretor-Pinney, a deliciously wry writer whose book The Cloudspotter's Guide just may rescue clouds from ignominy - or at least get us to look up as they slip by, ever-c...

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