Jim Kelley wrote:
But how does a photon tell the electron which way
it should move?

Energy and momentum must be conserved.

A photon which, if the direction in which it is emitted is unknown, can
be made to create a diffraction pattern - implying that a wave was
emitted rather than a particle. Putting us right back where we started.

Allow me to paraphrase Feynman: Only particles exist.

But what is it about this "cloud" that is actually cloud-like? Isn't it
really more like a wave of photons? :-)

If you prefer liquid analogies to gaseous analogies, feel
free.

I think Feynman uses almost that exact analogy, with probabilities
assigned to each, in the first few pages of QED.

You missed the point. That an individual photon must be
put in a basket labeled "reflected" and some other individual
photon must be put in a basket labeled "not reflected" is simply
nonsense. Talking about exactly where an individual photon
goes is nonsense.
--
73, Cecil, http://www.qsl.net/w5dxp