¨¨§§§§¨¨¨¨                                          §¨¨§¨§§¨¨§
¨§¨¨¨§¨¨¨§                                          §¨§§§¨§¨§§
§§¨¨§§¨¨§¨                                          §§¨¨§§§§¨§
¨§¨§¨§¨§§¨                                          ¨§¨§¨¨¨§§¨
§§§§§§§¨§¨                                          §§§§¨¨§¨§¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨§§§§             #¨¨¨~~~~~~~~¨¨¨#             ¨¨¨§¨§§§§§
¨¨¨¨¨§¨¨¨§      ####¨~~ 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         ¨§¨¨§§¨§¨¨
§§¨¨¨¨¨§§¨                                          §§¨§¨§§§¨¨
¨§¨¨¨¨§¨§¨                                          ¨§§§§¨¨§¨§
§§¨¨¨§§§§¨                                          §¨¨¨§¨§§§§
¨§¨¨§¨¨¨§¨                                          §¨¨§§§¨¨¨¨
§§¨§§¨¨§§§                                          §¨§¨¨§¨¨¨¨