¨§¨§¨¨§¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨¨§¨§¨
¨§§§§¨§§¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨¨§§§§
§§¨¨¨§§¨§¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨¨§¨¨¨
§¨§¨¨§¨§§§                                          ¨¨¨¨¨¨§§¨¨
§§§§¨§§§¨¨                                          §¨¨¨¨¨§¨§¨
§¨¨¨§§¨¨§¨             #¨¨¨========¨¨¨#             ¨§¨¨¨¨§§§§
¨§¨¨§¨§¨§§      ####¨== 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        §§§§¨§¨§¨¨
§¨¨¨¨¨§§¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨§§§§§¨
§§¨¨¨¨§¨§¨                                          §¨¨¨§¨¨¨¨§
¨¨§¨¨¨§§§§                                          §§¨¨§§¨¨¨§
§¨§§¨¨§¨¨¨                                          §¨§¨§¨§¨¨§
¨§§¨§¨§§¨¨                                          ¨§§§§§§§¨§