@§$%;-.¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨.-;%$§@
#@§$%;-.¨¨                                          ¨¨.-;%$§@#
##@§$%;-.¨                                          ¨.-;%$§@##
#@§$%;-.¨¨                                          ¨¨.-;%$§@#
@§$%;-.¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨.-;%$§@
§$%;-.¨¨¨¨             #¨¨¨--------¨¨¨#             ¨¨¨¨.-;%$§
@§$%;-.¨¨¨      ####¨-- FERMI'S PARADOX --¨####     ¨¨¨.-;%$§@
#@§$%;-.¨¨             #¨¨¨--------¨¨¨#             ¨¨.-;%$§@#
##@§$%;-.¨                                          ¨.-;%$§@##
#@§$%;-.¨¨ ON  EARTH (THE PLANET  WHERE  I LIVE)  A ¨¨.-;%$§@#
@§$%;-.¨¨¨ LOT OF US  HAVE ANTENNAS ON  OUR  HOUSES ¨¨¨.-;%$§@
§$%;-.¨¨¨¨ OR  BALCONIES,   WE  HAVE  BUILT   LARGE ¨¨¨¨.-;%$§
@§$%;-.¨¨¨ ANTENNAS  FOR  LARGER BANDWITH, WE  HAVE ¨¨¨.-;%$§@
#@§$%;-.¨¨      BUILD SPECIALIZED ANTENNAES FOR     ¨¨.-;%$§@#
##@§$%;-.¨   SPECIFIC WAVELENGTHS (AND SENT THEM    ¨.-;%$§@##
#@§$%;-.¨¨ INTO ORBIT), WE'VE BUILT LARGE  AS  FUCK ¨¨.-;%$§@#
@§$%;-.¨¨¨              ANTENNA ARRAYS              ¨¨¨.-;%$§@
§$%;-.¨¨¨¨ WE'VE  VIRTUALLY BUILT AN ANTENNA WITH A ¨¨¨¨.-;%$§
@§$%;-.¨¨¨          DISH AS LARGE AS EARTH.         ¨¨¨.-;%$§@
#@§$%;-.¨¨                                          ¨¨.-;%$§@#
##@§$%;-.¨ WE'VE LEARNED ABOUT OUR POSITION IN  THE ¨.-;%$§@##
#@§$%;-.¨¨     SOLAR SYSTEM, OUR SOLAR SYSTEMS      ¨¨.-;%$§@#
@§$%;-.¨¨¨ PLACEMENT  IN   THE   GALAXY,  AND   OUR ¨¨¨.-;%$§@
§$%;-.¨¨¨¨ GALAXYS PLACEMENT IN THE LOCAL  CLUSTER, ¨¨¨¨.-;%$§
@§$%;-.¨¨¨ AND -OUR-  LOCAL  CLUSTERS  PLACE IN THE ¨¨¨.-;%$§@
#@§$%;-.¨¨          GRAND SCHEME OF THINGS          ¨¨.-;%$§@#
##@§$%;-.¨                                          ¨.-;%$§@##
#@§$%;-.¨¨ AND  WE'RE  MOVING  AROUND  THE  SUN  AT ¨¨.-;%$§@#
@§$%;-.¨¨¨ VELOCITY AND THE  SUNS MOVING AROUND THE ¨¨¨.-;%$§@
§$%;-.¨¨¨¨ CENTER  OF  THE GALAXY  AT VELOCITY  AND ¨¨¨¨.-;%$§
@§$%;-.¨¨¨ THE  GALAXY  IS MOVING  TOWARD ANDROMEDA ¨¨¨.-;%$§@
#@§$%;-.¨¨   AND WE'RE BOTH MOVING ANTICLOCKWISE    ¨¨.-;%$§@#
##@§$%;-.¨ AROUND THE  GALAXY. AND WE AS A  SPECIES ¨.-;%$§@##
#@§$%;-.¨¨ HAVE LEARNED TO TAKE ALL THAT IN ACCOUNT ¨¨.-;%$§@#
@§$%;-.¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨.-;%$§@
§$%;-.¨¨¨¨ AND  DESPITE ALL  THIS, DESPITE ALL  OUR ¨¨¨¨.-;%$§
@§$%;-.¨¨¨   (CLICHE) BEAMING OF FUCKING STELLAR    ¨¨¨.-;%$§@
#@§$%;-.¨¨ RADIO PROGRAMMES  OUT  IN  FUCKING SPACE ¨¨.-;%$§@#
##@§$%;-.¨ AT  THE  SPEED OF  LIGHT (LIGHT  IS  OUR ¨.-;%$§@##
#@§$%;-.¨¨ MEDIUM! GOODSPEED YOU, BLACK EMPEROR!),  ¨¨.-;%$§@#
@§$%;-.¨¨¨      DESPITE GHOSTS HELPING AND THE      ¨¨¨.-;%$§@
§$%;-.¨¨¨¨     COLLECTIVE CONSCIOUSNESS LOWPASS     ¨¨¨¨.-;%$§
@§$%;-.¨¨¨    FILTERING, DESPITE OUR VERY OBVIOUS   ¨¨¨.-;%$§@
#@§$%;-.¨¨ BEAMING  OF ALL  OUR  SECRETS  IN  EVERY ¨¨.-;%$§@#
##@§$%;-.¨          DIRECTION KNOWN TO US,          ¨.-;%$§@##
#@§$%;-.¨¨                                          ¨¨.-;%$§@#
@§$%;-.¨¨¨ NO   ¨    ONE   ¨    HAS   ¨    ANSWERED ¨¨¨.-;%$§@
§$%;-.¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨.-;%$§
@§$%;-.¨¨¨             #¨¨¨--------¨¨¨#             ¨¨¨.-;%$§@
#@§$%;-.¨¨      ####¨-- FERMI'S PARADOX --¨####     ¨¨.-;%$§@#
##@§$%;-.¨             #¨¨¨--------¨¨¨#             ¨.-;%$§@##
#@§$%;-.¨¨                                          ¨¨.-;%$§@#
@§$%;-.¨¨¨             SO WHY IS THAT?              ¨¨¨.-;%$§@
§$%;-.¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨.-;%$§
@§$%;-.¨¨¨ MOST OPPONENTS  TO  INTELLIGENT LIFE  IN ¨¨¨.-;%$§@
#@§$%;-.¨¨ THE  UNIVERSE SAY  IT'S BECAUSE YOU NEED ¨¨.-;%$§@#
##@§$%;-.¨ A CLASS  ONE-OR-THE-OTHER STAR  AND  THE ¨.-;%$§@##
#@§$%;-.¨¨ PLANET  NEEDS  TO  BE  AT  A  SEE-AND-SO ¨¨.-;%$§@#
@§$%;-.¨¨¨ DISTANCE AWAY FROM THE STAR  (LIKE THERE ¨¨¨.-;%$§@
§$%;-.¨¨¨¨           HAS TO BE A PLANET!)           ¨¨¨¨.-;%$§
@§$%;-.¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨.-;%$§@
#@§$%;-.¨¨ BUT   REALLY  ISN'T   THAT  KEEPING  THE ¨¨.-;%$§@#
##@§$%;-.¨      DEFINITION OF LIFE REALLY LAX?      ¨.-;%$§@##
#@§$%;-.¨¨                                          ¨¨.-;%$§@#
@§$%;-.¨¨¨ I THINK EVERYONE  AGREES THAT WE HAVE NO ¨¨¨.-;%$§@
§$%;-.¨¨¨¨ IDEA  WHAT WE'RE DOING  (AND IT PROBABLY ¨¨¨¨.-;%$§
@§$%;-.¨¨¨                  SHOWS)                  ¨¨¨.-;%$§@
#@§$%;-.¨¨                                          ¨¨.-;%$§@#
##@§$%;-.¨             #¨¨¨--------¨¨¨#             ¨.-;%$§@##
#@§$%;-.¨¨     ####¨-- FERMI'S PARADOX --¨####      ¨¨.-;%$§@#
@§$%;-.¨¨¨             #¨¨¨--------¨¨¨#             ¨¨¨.-;%$§@
§$%;-.¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨.-;%$§
@§$%;-.¨¨¨ I'M  GONNA  GO SMOKE  MY THIRD CIGARETTE ¨¨¨.-;%$§@
#@§$%;-.¨¨ THIS YEAR AND TRY  TO SNATCH SOME  BEERS ¨¨.-;%$§@#
##@§$%;-.¨        FROM THE LOCAL BEER THING         ¨.-;%$§@##
#@§$%;-.¨¨                                          ¨¨.-;%$§@#
@§$%;-.¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨.-;%$§@
§$%;-.¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨.-;%$§
@§$%;-.¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨.-;%$§@
#@§$%;-.¨¨                                          ¨¨.-;%$§@#