Cloud is a 2005 puzzle video game developed by a team of students in the University of Southern California's Interactive Media Program. The indie team began development of Cloud in January 2005 with a US$20,000 grant from the school; the game was released as a free download that October. By July 2006, the hosting website had received 6 million visits, and the game had been downloaded 600,000 times. Players fly through a dream world and manipulate clouds to solve puzzles. The concept was partially based on the childhood daydreams of lead designer Jenova Chen (pictured), who had often been hospitalized for asthma. Cloud won a Student Showcase award at the 2006 Independent Games Festival. The game was well received by critics, who cited its visuals, music, and relaxing atmosphere as high points. Chen and producer Kellee Santiago went on to co-found the studio Thatgamecompany, which has considered remaking Cloud as a commercial video game.

Read more: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cloud_(video_game)

_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:

1240:

The Disputation of Paris began in the court of King Louis IX, in which four rabbis defended the Talmud against Nicholas Donin's accusations of blasphemy. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disputation_of_Paris

1775:

Governor Thomas Gage of the Province of Massachusetts Bay offered a general pardon to colonists who remained loyal to Britain. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Gage

1954:

Dominic Savio, who was 14 years old when he died, was canonised by Pope Pius XII, making him the youngest non-martyr saint in the Roman Catholic Church until 2017. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dominic_Savio

1978:

American serial killer David Berkowitz, popularly known as the "Son of Sam", was sentenced to 25-years-to-life in prison for each of six killings. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Berkowitz

2001:

Robert Edward Dyer was sentenced to 16 years' imprisonment for conducting a six-month long letter bomb campaign against the British supermarket chain Tesco. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tesco_bomb_campaign

_____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day:

rapprochement:

https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/rapprochement

___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day:

We're all alive, but we don't know why or what for; we're all searching for happiness; we're all leading lives that are different and yet the same.   --Anne Frank https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Anne_Frank