@¶@&^*«.¨¨ ¨¨.«*^&@¶@
#@¶@&^*«.¨ ¨.«*^&@¶@#
@¶@&^*«.¨¨ ¨¨.«*^&@¶@
¶@&^*«.¨¨¨ ¨¨¨.«*^&@¶
@&^*«.¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨.«*^&@
&^*«.¨¨¨¨¨ #¨¨¨««««««««¨¨¨# ¨¨¨¨¨.«*^&
^*«.¨¨¨¨¨¨ ####¨«« 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 ¨¨.«*^&@¶@
¶@&^*«.¨¨¨ ¨¨¨.«*^&@¶
@&^*«.¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨.«*^&@
&^*«.¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨.«*^&
^*«.¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨.«*^
*«.¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨.«*