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