&..&&&.&.. &&..&..&..
&&.&..&&&. &.&.&&.&&.
&.&&&.&..& .&&&&.&&.&
.&&..&&&.& &&...&&.&&
&&.&.&..&& ..&..&.&&.
&.&&&&&.&. #...~~~~~~~~...# ..&&.&&&.&
.&&....&&& ####.~~ 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 .&&...&&&.
.&&...&&.. .&.&..&..&
&&.&..&.&. .&&&&.&&.&
..&&&.&&&& .&...&&.&&
&.&..&&... &&&..&.&&.
&&&&.&.&.. &..&.&&&.&