¨¨&&&¨¨¨¨¨ ¨&&&&&&&&¨
&¨¨&¨¨&&&& ¨¨&&&&&&¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨&&& &¨¨&&&&¨¨¨
&&&&&&¨¨&& ¨¨¨¨&&¨¨&&
&&&&&¨¨¨¨& ¨&&¨¨¨¨¨¨&
&&&&¨¨&&¨¨ #¨¨¨--------¨¨¨# ¨¨¨¨&&&&¨¨
¨&&¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ####¨-- 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 &&&&&&&¨¨&
&&¨¨¨¨&&&& &&&&&&¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨&&¨¨&&& &&&&&¨¨&&¨
&&¨¨¨¨¨¨&& &&&&¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨&&&&¨¨& &&&¨¨&&&&¨
&&¨¨&&¨¨¨¨ &&¨¨¨¨&&¨¨