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