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