¨§§¨¨¨¨¨¨§                                          ¨¨¨§¨¨§§¨¨
¨§§§¨¨¨¨¨¨                                          §¨¨¨§¨§§§¨
¨§¨§§¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨§¨¨¨¨§¨§§
¨¨¨§§§¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨§¨¨¨¨¨§§
§¨¨§¨§§¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨§¨¨¨¨§§
§§¨¨¨§§§¨¨             #¨¨¨========¨¨¨#             ¨¨¨¨§¨¨¨§¨
§§§¨¨§¨§§¨      ####¨== 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         ¨¨§¨¨§¨¨¨¨
¨¨§¨¨¨§¨§§                                          §¨¨§¨¨§¨¨¨
¨¨¨§¨¨¨¨§§                                          §§¨¨§¨¨§¨¨
¨¨¨¨§¨¨¨§¨                                          ¨§§¨¨§¨¨§¨
¨¨¨¨¨§¨¨¨¨                                          ¨§§§¨¨§¨¨§
§¨¨¨¨¨§¨¨¨                                          ¨§¨§§¨¨§¨¨