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