@&§%†««¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨««†%§&@
##¶&§%†«,¨                                          ¨,«†%§&¶##
##@&§%†«,¨                                          ¨,«†%§&@##
&%†«,¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨,«†%&
#@¶&§%†«,¨                                          ¨,«†%§&¶@#
@&&§§%†«,¨             #¨¨¨««««««««¨¨¨#             ¨,«†%§§&&@
@&%««,,,¨¨     ####¨«« 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         ¨,«†%§&¶##
&§%†«¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨«†%§&
#@¶&§%†«,¨                                          ¨,«†%§&¶@#
#@¶&§%†«,¨                                          ¨,«†%§&¶@#
@@¶&§%†«,¨                                          ¨,«†%§&¶@@
@¶&&§%†«,¨                                          ¨,«†%§&&¶@