@¤*$*~,¨¨¨ ¨¨¨,~*$*¤@
¤*$*~,¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨,~*$*¤
*$*~,¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨,~*$*
$*~,¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨,~*$
*~,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,~*
~,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ #¨¨¨~~~~~~~~¨¨¨# ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,~
,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ####¨~~ 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 ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,~*
$*~,¨¨¨¨¨¨ IDEA WHAT WE'RE DOING (AND IT PROBABLY ¨¨¨¨¨¨,~*$
*$*~,¨¨¨¨¨ SHOWS) ¨¨¨¨¨,~*$*
¤*$*~,¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨,~*$*¤
@¤*$*~,¨¨¨ #¨¨¨~~~~~~~~¨¨¨# ¨¨¨,~*$*¤@
#@¤*$*~,¨¨ ####¨~~ FERMI'S PARADOX ~~¨#### ¨¨,~*$*¤@#
##@¤*$*~,¨ #¨¨¨~~~~~~~~¨¨¨# ¨,~*$*¤@##
#@¤*$*~,¨¨ ¨¨,~*$*¤@#
@¤*$*~,¨¨¨ I'M GONNA GO SMOKE MY THIRD CIGARETTE ¨¨¨,~*$*¤@
¤*$*~,¨¨¨¨ THIS YEAR AND TRY TO SNATCH SOME BEERS ¨¨¨¨,~*$*¤
*$*~,¨¨¨¨¨ FROM THE LOCAL BEER THING ¨¨¨¨¨,~*$*
$*~,¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨,~*$
*~,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,~*
~,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,~
,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨