&.&...&&&. ....&&&&.&
&&&..&..&& ...&...&&.
..&.&&.&.. ..&&..&.&&
.&&&.&&&.& .&.&.&&&.&
&..&&..&&& &&&&&..&&&
&.&.&.&... #...~~~~~~~~...# ....&.&...
&&&&&&&..& ####.~~ FERMI'S PARADOX ~~.#### ...&&&&..&
......&.&. #...~~~~~~~~...# ..&...&.&.
.....&&&&. .&&..&&&&.
....&...&. ON EARTH (THE PLANET WHERE I LIVE) A &.&.&...&.
...&&..&&& LOT OF US HAVE ANTENNAS ON OUR HOUSES &&&&&..&&.
..&.&.&..& OR BALCONIES, WE HAVE BUILT LARGE ....&.&.&.
.&&&&&&.&& ANTENNAS FOR LARGER BANDWITH, WE HAVE ...&&&&&&.
&.....&&.. BUILD SPECIALIZED ANTENNAES FOR ..&.....&.
&....&.&.. SPECIFIC WAVELENGTHS (AND SENT THEM .&&....&&&
&...&&&&.& INTO ORBIT), WE'VE BUILT LARGE AS FUCK &.&...&...
&..&...&&& ANTENNA ARRAYS &&&..&&..&
&.&&..&... WE'VE VIRTUALLY BUILT AN ANTENNA WITH A ..&.&.&.&.
&&.&.&&... DISH AS LARGE AS EARTH. .&&&&&&&&&
.&&&&.&..& &.........
&...&&&.&& WE'VE LEARNED ABOUT OUR POSITION IN THE &.........
&..&..&&.. SOLAR SYSTEM, OUR SOLAR SYSTEMS &........&
&.&&.&.&.. PLACEMENT IN THE GALAXY, AND OUR &.......&.
&&.&&&&&.. GALAXYS PLACEMENT IN THE LOCAL CLUSTER, &......&&&
.&&....&.& AND ~OUR~ LOCAL CLUSTERS PLACE IN THE &.....&...
&.&...&&&. GRAND SCHEME OF THINGS &....&&...
&&&..&..&& &...&.&..&
..&.&&.&.& AND WE'RE MOVING AROUND THE SUN AT &..&&&&.&.
.&&&.&&&&& VELOCITY AND THE SUNS MOVING AROUND THE &.&...&&&.
&..&&....& CENTER OF THE GALAXY AT VELOCITY AND &&&..&..&.
&.&.&...&. THE GALAXY IS MOVING TOWARD ANDROMEDA ..&.&&.&&&
&&&&&..&&& AND WE'RE BOTH MOVING ANTICLOCKWISE .&&&.&&...
....&.&... AROUND THE GALAXY. AND WE AS A SPECIES &..&&.&..&
...&&&&... HAVE LEARNED TO TAKE ALL THAT IN ACCOUNT &.&.&&&.&&
..&...&... &&&&..&&.&
.&&..&&... AND DESPITE ALL THIS, DESPITE ALL OUR ...&.&.&&&
&.&.&.&..& (CLICHE) BEAMING OF FUCKING STELLAR ..&&&&&..&
&&&&&&&.&. RADIO PROGRAMMES OUT IN FUCKING SPACE .&....&.&.
......&&&& AT THE SPEED OF LIGHT (LIGHT IS OUR &&...&&&&&
.....&.... MEDIUM! GOODSPEED YOU, BLACK EMPEROR!), .&..&....&
....&&.... DESPITE GHOSTS HELPING AND THE &&.&&...&&
...&.&...& COLLECTIVE CONSCIOUSNESS LOWPASS .&&.&..&.&
..&&&&..&. FILTERING, DESPITE OUR VERY OBVIOUS &.&&&.&&&&
.&...&.&&& BEAMING OF ALL OUR SECRETS IN EVERY &&..&&...&
&&..&&&..& DIRECTION KNOWN TO US, .&.&.&..&&
.&.&..&.&. &&&&&&.&..
&&&&.&&&&& NO . ONE . HAS . ANSWERED .....&&&..
...&&....& ....&..&.&
..&.&...&. #...~~~~~~~~...# ...&&.&&&&
.&&&&..&&& ####.~~ FERMI'S PARADOX ~~.#### ..&.&&...&
&...&.&... #...~~~~~~~~...# .&&&.&..&&
&..&&&&..& &..&&&.&..
&.&...&.&& SO WHY IS THAT? &.&..&&&.&
&&&..&&&.. &&&.&..&&.
..&.&..&.& MOST OPPONENTS TO INTELLIGENT LIFE IN ..&&&.&.&&
.&&&&.&&&. THE UNIVERSE SAY IT'S BECAUSE YOU NEED .&..&&&&.&
&...&&..&. A CLASS ONE-OR-THE-OTHER STAR AND THE &&.&...&&&
&..&.&.&&& PLANET NEEDS TO BE AT A SEE-AND-SO .&&&..&...
&.&&&&&... DISTANCE AWAY FROM THE STAR (LIKE THERE &..&.&&..&
&&....&..& HAS TO BE A PLANET!) &.&&&.&.&.
.&...&&.&. &&..&&&&&&
&&..&.&&&& BUT REALLY ISN'T THAT KEEPING THE .&.&.....&
.&.&&&...& DEFINITION OF LIFE REALLY LAX? &&&&....&.
&&&..&..&& ...&...&&.
..&.&&.&.. I THINK EVERYONE AGREES THAT WE HAVE NO ..&&..&.&&
.&&&.&&&.& IDEA WHAT WE'RE DOING (AND IT PROBABLY .&.&.&&&.&
&..&&..&&& SHOWS) &&&&&..&&&
&.&.&.&... ....&.&...
&&&&&&&..& #...~~~~~~~~...# ...&&&&..&
......&.&. ####.~~ FERMI'S PARADOX ~~.#### ..&...&.&.
.....&&&&. #...~~~~~~~~...# .&&..&&&&.
....&...&. &.&.&...&.
...&&..&&& I'M GONNA GO SMOKE MY THIRD CIGARETTE &&&&&..&&.
..&.&.&..& THIS YEAR AND TRY TO SNATCH SOME BEERS ....&.&.&.
.&&&&&&.&& FROM THE LOCAL BEER THING ...&&&&&&.
&.....&&.. ..&.....&.
&....&.&.. .&&....&&&
&...&&&&.& &.&...&...
&..&...&&& &&&..&&..&
&.&&..&... ..&.&.&.&.