This document summarizes a model of galaxy colonization and tumor growth based on percolation and invasion processes. The model uses a single parameter β to represent the difficulty of diffusion/spreading, with higher β meaning greater difficulty. For subcritical values of β, civilizations/cancer cells exist but would never reach the Earth/healthy cells. Supercritical values lead to fractal-like patterns with gaps of all sizes. The model can explain Fermi's Paradox without assumptions about alien psychology and shows that colonization/growth is non-uniform, resembling the distribution of human settlements on Earth. While simple, the model could be expanded to consider additional realistic factors.