##@§$^^--¨ ¨--^^$§@##
###§$^^--¨ ¨--^^$§###
#@@§$^^--¨ ¨--^^$§@@#
##@§$^^--¨ ¨--^^$§@##
§$^---¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨---^$§
@$^--¨¨¨¨¨ #¨¨¨--------¨¨¨# ¨¨¨¨¨--^$@
##@§$^^--¨ ####¨-- FERMI'S PARADOX --¨#### ¨--^^$§@##
##@§$^^--¨ #¨¨¨--------¨¨¨# ¨--^^$§@##
##@§$^^--¨ ¨--^^$§@##
#§^^--¨¨¨¨ 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 ¨¨¨¨¨-^^§§
@§$^-¨¨¨¨¨ FROM THE LOCAL BEER THING ¨¨¨¨¨-^$§@
§^^-¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨-^^§
##@§$^^--¨ ¨--^^$§@##
@§^^--¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨--^^§@
###@§$^^-¨ ¨-^^$§@###
##@§$^^--¨ ¨--^^$§@##