=:¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨:=
†=:¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨:=†
§†=:¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨:=†§
%§†=:¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨:=†§%
¤%§†=:¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨:=†§%¤
¶¤%§†=:¨¨¨ #¨¨¨========¨¨¨# ¨¨¨:=†§%¤¶
#¶¤%§†=:¨¨ ####¨== 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 ¨¨:=†§%¤¶#
¶¤%§†=:¨¨¨ ¨¨¨:=†§%¤¶
¤%§†=:¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨:=†§%¤
%§†=:¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨:=†§%
§†=:¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨:=†§
†=:¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨:=†