&&&&,&,,&& &&&&&,,,,,
&,,,&&&,&, ,,,,,&,,,,
&&,,&,,&&& ,,,,,&&,,,
&,&,&&,&,, &,,,,&,&,,
&&&&&,&&&, ,&,,,&&&&,
&,,,,&&,,& #,,,~~~~~~~~,,,# ,&&,,&,,,&
,&,,,&,&,& ####,~~ 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 &&&,,&&&&&
,,,&,&&&&& ,,,&,&,,,,
,,,&&&,,,, &,,&&&&,,,
,,,&,,&,,, ,&,&,,,&,,
,,,&&,&&,, ,&&&&,,&&,
,,,&,&&,&, ,&,,,&,&,&