:~........ ........~:
^:~....... .......~:^
*^:~...... ......~:^*
¤*^:~..... .....~:^*¤
@¤*^:~.... ....~:^*¤@
#@¤*^:~... #...~~~~~~~~...# ...~:^*¤@#
##@¤*^:~.. ####.~~ 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 ....~:^*¤@
#@¤*^:~... ...~:^*¤@#
##@¤*^:~.. ..~:^*¤@##
#@¤*^:~... ...~:^*¤@#
@¤*^:~.... ....~:^*¤@
¤*^:~..... .....~:^*¤