@§$;~^^^^. .^^^^~;$§@
@##§$=;~^. .^~;=$§##@
##@§$=;~^. .^~;=$§@##
###§$=;~^. .^~;=$§###
@@#§$=;~^. .^~;=$§#@@
##$$$=;~^. #...~~~~~~~~...# .^~;=$$$##
##@#§$;~^. ####.~~ FERMI'S PARADOX ~~.#### .^~;$§#@##
§$====;~^. #...~~~~~~~~...# .^~;====$§
#@#§$=;~^. .^~;=$§#@#
@§=~^..... 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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