§....§§§.§                                          .§§§§§...§
.§...§..§§                                          .§....§..§
§§§..§§.§.                                          §§§...§§.§
...§.§.§§§                                          §..§..§.§§
§..§§§§§..                                          .§.§§.§§§.
§§.§....§.             #...========...#             §§§§.§§..§
..§§§...§§      ####.== 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         .§.§§§§.§§
....§..§.§                                          §§§§...§§.
....§§.§§§                                          ....§..§.§
§...§.§§..                                          ....§§.§§§
.§..§§§.§.                                          §...§.§§..
.§§.§..§§§                                          §§..§§§.§.