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.§...§§§.§             #...========...#             .§...§....
.§§..§..§§     ####.== 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        §§§§.....§
.§.§.§§§..                                          ....§....§
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