§¨§¨¨§¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨§§¨§¨§
¨§§§¨§§¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨§¨§§§§
§§¨¨§§¨§¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨§§§¨¨¨
§¨§¨§¨§§§¨                                          ¨¨¨¨§¨¨§¨¨
§§§§§§§¨¨§                                          ¨¨¨¨§§¨§§¨
§¨¨¨¨¨¨§¨§             #¨¨¨========¨¨¨#             ¨¨¨¨§¨§§¨§
¨§¨¨¨¨¨§§§     ####¨== 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        §§¨¨¨§§§§¨
§¨§¨§§¨¨§§                                          ¨¨§¨¨§¨¨¨§
¨§§§§¨§¨§¨                                          §¨§§¨§§¨¨§
§§¨¨¨§§§§§                                          §§§¨§§¨§¨§
¨¨§¨¨§¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨§§¨§§§§
§¨§§¨§§¨¨¨                                          §¨¨§¨§§¨¨¨