..&&...&&. &&.....&&&
&.&.&..&.& &.&....&..
&&&&&&.&&& &&&&...&&.
&.....&&.. ....&..&.&
.&....&.&. &...&&.&&&
&&&...&&&& #...««««««««...# &&..&.&&..
&..&..&... ####.«« 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 ..&..&&&.&
&&..&&&&.. ..&&.&..&&
..&.&...&. ..&.&&&.&.
..&&&&..&& ..&&&..&&&
&.&...&.&. &.&..&.&..
&&&&..&&&& .&&&.&&&&.