&&&&&&&,,, ,&&,&,,,,&
,,,,,,&,,& &,&&&,,,&,
,,,,,&&,&& &&,,&,,&&,
,,,,&,&&,, ,&,&&,&,&,
,,,&&&,&,, &&&,&&&&&,
,,&,,&&&,& #,,,--------,,,# ,,&&,,,,&,
,&&,&,,&&& ####,-- 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 ,&&,&,,,&&
,&&&,&&&&, &,&&&,,&,&
&,,&&,,,&, &&,,&,&&&&
&,&,&,,&&, ,&,&&&,,,,
&&&&&,&,&& &&&,,&,,,&
,,,,&&&&,& ,,&,&&,,&,