§§§/===,¨¨ ¨¨,===/§§§
@§§==¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨==§§@
@§§=,,¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨,,=§§@
#@@§&§/=,¨ ¨,=/§&§@@#
##@§&§/=,¨ ¨,=/§&§@##
§§===¨¨¨¨¨ #¨¨¨========¨¨¨# ¨¨¨¨¨===§§
§§=,¨¨¨¨¨¨ ####¨== 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 ¨,=/§&@@##
##@§&§/=,¨ ¨,=/§&§@##
@§§&/==¨¨¨ ¨¨¨==/&§§@
@@@§&§/=,¨ ¨,=/§&§@@@
@@@§&§/=,¨ ¨,=/§&§@@@
@@@§&§/=,¨ ¨,=/§&§@@@