§,§,§,§,§,                                          §,§§,,§§,,
§,§,§,§,§,                                          §,,§,§,§,§
§,§,§,§,§,                                          §,§§,§,§,,
§,§,§,§,§,                                          §,,§,§,§,§
§,§,§,§,§,                                          §,§§,§,§,,
§,§,§,§,§,             #,,,»»»»»»»»,,,#             §,,§,§,§,§
§,§,§,§,§,      ####,»» 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         §,§§,§,§,,
§,§,§,§,§,                                          §,,§,§,§,§
§,§,§,§,§,                                          §,§§,§,§,,
§,§,§,§,§,                                          §,,§,§,§,§
§,§,§,§,§,                                          §,§§,§,§,,
§,§,§,§,§,                                          §,,§,§,§,§