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