=«,....... .......,«=
«,........ ........,«
,......... .........,
«,........ ........,«
=«,....... .......,«=
*=«,...... #...««««««««...# ......,«=*
%*=«,..... ####.«« 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 .,«=*%#¶@#
@¶#%*=«,.. ..,«=*%#¶@
¶#%*=«,... ...,«=*%#¶
#%*=«,.... ....,«=*%#
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*=«,...... ......,«=*