..^«*$&&#@                                          @#&&$*«^..
...^«*$&&#                                          #&&$*«^...
..^«*$&&#@                                          @#&&$*«^..
.^«*$&&#@#                                          #@#&&$*«^.
..^«*$&&#@                                          @#&&$*«^..
...^«*$&&#             #...««««««««...#             #&&$*«^...
..^«*$&&#@     ####.«« fermi's paradox ««.####      @#&&$*«^..
.^«*$&&#@#             #...««««««««...#             #@#&&$*«^.
..^«*$&&#@                                          @#&&$*«^..
...^«*$&&# on  earth (the planet  where i  live)  a #&&$*«^...
..^«*$&&#@ lot of  us have  antennas on our  houses @#&&$*«^..
.^«*$&&#@# or  balconies,   we  have  built   large #@#&&$*«^.
..^«*$&&#@ antennas  for larger  bandwith,  we have @#&&$*«^..
...^«*$&&#      build specialized antennaes for     #&&$*«^...
..^«*$&&#@   specific wavelengths (and sent them    @#&&$*«^..
.^«*$&&#@# into orbit), we've  built large  as fuck #@#&&$*«^.
..^«*$&&#@              antenna arrays              @#&&$*«^..
...^«*$&&# we've virtually built an antenna with  a #&&$*«^...
..^«*$&&#@         dish as large as earth.          @#&&$*«^..
.^«*$&&#@#                                          #@#&&$*«^.
..^«*$&&#@ we've learned about our position  in the @#&&$*«^..
...^«*$&&#     solar system, our solar systems      #&&$*«^...
..^«*$&&#@ placement  in   the  galaxy,   and   our @#&&$*«^..
.^«*$&&#@# galaxys placement  in the local cluster, #@#&&$*«^.
..^«*$&&#@ and «our«  local clusters place  in  the @#&&$*«^..
...^«*$&&#          grand scheme of things          #&&$*«^...
..^«*$&&#@                                          @#&&$*«^..
.^«*$&&#@# and  we're  moving  around  the  sun  at #@#&&$*«^.
..^«*$&&#@ velocity and the  suns moving around the @#&&$*«^..
...^«*$&&# center  of the  galaxy  at  velocity and #&&$*«^...
..^«*$&&#@ the  galaxy  is moving  toward andromeda @#&&$*«^..
.^«*$&&#@#    and we're both moving anticlockwise   #@#&&$*«^.
..^«*$&&#@ around the galaxy. and  we as a  species @#&&$*«^..
...^«*$&&# have learned to take all that in account #&&$*«^...
..^«*$&&#@                                          @#&&$*«^..
.^«*$&&#@# and  despite  all  this, despite all our #@#&&$*«^.
..^«*$&&#@   (cliche) beaming of fucking stellar    @#&&$*«^..
...^«*$&&# radio  programmes out in  fucking  space #&&$*«^...
..^«*$&&#@ at  the  speed of light  (light  is  our @#&&$*«^..
.^«*$&&#@# medium! goodspeed you, black emperor!),  #@#&&$*«^.
..^«*$&&#@      despite ghosts helping and the      @#&&$*«^..
...^«*$&&#     collective consciousness lowpass     #&&$*«^...
..^«*$&&#@   filtering, despite our very obvious    @#&&$*«^..
.^«*$&&#@# beaming  of  all our  secrets  in  every #@#&&$*«^.
..^«*$&&#@          direction known to us,          @#&&$*«^..
...^«*$&&#                                          #&&$*«^...
..^«*$&&#@ no   .    one   .    has    .   answered @#&&$*«^..
.^«*$&&#@#                                          #@#&&$*«^.
..^«*$&&#@             #...««««««««...#             @#&&$*«^..
...^«*$&&#     ####.«« fermi's paradox ««.####      #&&$*«^...
..^«*$&&#@             #...««««««««...#             @#&&$*«^..
.^«*$&&#@#                                          #@#&&$*«^.
..^«*$&&#@              so why is that?             @#&&$*«^..
...^«*$&&#                                          #&&$*«^...
..^«*$&&#@ most  opponents  to intelligent  life in @#&&$*«^..
.^«*$&&#@# the universe say it's  because you  need #@#&&$*«^.
..^«*$&&#@ a class  one-or-the-other  star  and the @#&&$*«^..
...^«*$&&# planet  needs  to  be  at  a  see-and-so #&&$*«^...
..^«*$&&#@ distance away from the  star (like there @#&&$*«^..
.^«*$&&#@#           has to be a planet!)           #@#&&$*«^.
..^«*$&&#@                                          @#&&$*«^..
...^«*$&&# but  really  isn't   that  keeping   the #&&$*«^...
..^«*$&&#@      definition of life really lax?      @#&&$*«^..
.^«*$&&#@#                                          #@#&&$*«^.
..^«*$&&#@ i  think everyone agrees that we have no @#&&$*«^..
...^«*$&&# idea what we're doing  (and  it probably #&&$*«^...
..^«*$&&#@                  shows)                  @#&&$*«^..
.^«*$&&#@#                                          #@#&&$*«^.
..^«*$&&#@             #...««««««««...#             @#&&$*«^..
...^«*$&&#     ####.«« fermi's paradox ««.####      #&&$*«^...
..^«*$&&#@             #...««««««««...#             @#&&$*«^..
.^«*$&&#@#                                          #@#&&$*«^.
..^«*$&&#@ i'm  gonna go smoke my  third  cigarette @#&&$*«^..
...^«*$&&# this year and  try to  snatch some beers #&&$*«^...
..^«*$&&#@        from the local beer thing         @#&&$*«^..
.^«*$&&#@#                                          #@#&&$*«^.
..^«*$&&#@                                          @#&&$*«^..
...^«*$&&#                                          #&&$*«^...
..^«*$&&#@                                          @#&&$*«^..
.^«*$&&#@#                                          #@#&&$*«^.