In today's fast-paced life, many people regret not having enough time to gaze up into the sky and ponder the beauty of the constantly-shifting shapes of the clouds that roam above. But despair no more! Thanks to Douglas Bagnall's intelligent Cloud Shape Classifier, you can now train a machine to do the neck-bending work for you, and enjoy a selection of your favorite type of clouds at your convenience. As Bagnall explains, 'Classifiers start off in a confused state and need to be taught to recognize good clouds.' Your Classifier will begin by showing you a random series of four clouds at a time, and as you click on your favorite from each group, you teach it what sorts of clouds you like. According to Bagnall, 'if you persist, it should be able to catch the drift of your taste.' The Cloud Shape Classifier is now installed at Enjoy Gallery, in Wellington, New Zealand, and is of course viewable online. - Helen Varley Jamieson
