¨¨¨¨¨¨§¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨§§¨¨¨¨
§§§§§¨¨¨§§                                          ¨§§¨¨¨¨§§§
§§§§¨¨§¨¨§                                          ¨¨¨¨§§¨¨§§
§§§¨¨¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨§§¨¨¨¨¨¨§
§§¨¨§§§§§¨                                          ¨¨¨¨§§§§¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨§§§¨¨             #¨¨¨««««««««¨¨¨#             ¨§§¨¨§§¨¨¨
§§§§¨¨§¨¨§      ####¨«« 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        ¨§§§§§¨¨§§
§¨¨§§¨¨¨¨§                                          ¨¨§§§¨¨¨¨§
¨¨¨¨¨¨§§¨¨                                          §¨¨§¨¨§§¨¨
§§§§§¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨§
§§§§¨¨§§§§                                          ¨§§§§§§§¨¨
¨§§¨¨¨¨§§¨                                          ¨¨§§§§§¨¨¨