¨¨¨¨&&¨¨&& &¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
&&&¨¨¨¨¨¨& ¨¨&&&&&&&&
&&¨¨&&&&¨¨ &¨¨&&&&&&&
&¨¨¨¨&&¨¨& ¨¨¨¨&&&&&&
¨¨&&¨¨¨¨¨¨ &&&¨¨&&&&&
¨¨¨¨¨&&&&¨ #¨¨¨--------¨¨¨# ¨&¨¨¨¨&&&¨
&&&&¨¨&&¨¨ ####¨-- 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 &&&&&&&&&&
&&&&&&&&&& &&&&&&&&&&
&&&&&&&&&& &&&&&&&&&&
&&&&&&&&&& &&&&&&&&&&
&&&&&&&&&& &&&&&&&&&&
&&&&&&&&&& &&&&&&&&&&