@¶§&*/--¨¨ ¨¨--/*&§¶@
¶§&*/--¨¨¨ ¨¨¨--/*&§¶
§&*/--¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨--/*&§
¶§&*/--¨¨¨ ¨¨¨--/*&§¶
@¶§&*/--¨¨ ¨¨--/*&§¶@
#@¶§&*/--¨ #¨¨¨--------¨¨¨# ¨--/*&§¶@#
@¶§&*/--¨¨ ####¨-- 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 ¨¨¨¨--/*&§
¶§&*/--¨¨¨ ¨¨¨--/*&§¶
@¶§&*/--¨¨ ¨¨--/*&§¶@
#@¶§&*/--¨ ¨--/*&§¶@#
@¶§&*/--¨¨ ¨¨--/*&§¶@
¶§&*/--¨¨¨ ¨¨¨--/*&§¶