The concepts of self, story, emotion and empathy are closely linked in the human animal. Whatever they can teach us about what we are and where we’re headed, it’s certain they’ve played a pretty big part in getting us this far.

Total Recall (1990) and Paycheck (2003) were both over-slick action films with star power that took the kernels of his profound ideas and drowned them in Hollywood politics.

"You don’t want to take yourself too seriously," Pretor-Pinney cautions, "we make fun of a certain nerdiness in talking about clouds and it’s important to see the funny side in what you do. Finding shapes in the clouds is a pointless, aimless activity that has great value in reminding us not to be too adult or clever."