.§.§.§.§..                                          §§§§.§§.§§
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.§.§.§.§..                                          .§§§..§..§
.§.§.§.§.§                                          §.§§.§§.§§
.§.§.§.§..             #...~~~~~~~~...#             §..§..§..§
.§.§.§.§.§     ####.~~ 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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