&,&,&&,,&,                                          ,&&,&,,,,,
&&&&,&,&&&                                          &,&&&,,,,&
,,,&&&&,,,                                          &&,,&,,,&,
,,&,,,&,,&                                          ,&,&&,,&&,
,&&,,&&,&&                                          &&&,&,&,&,
&,&,&,&&,&             #,,,~~~~~~~~,,,#             ,,&&&&&&&,
&&&&&&,&&&     ####,~~ 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         ,&&&,,&&,,
&&&,&&&&,,                                          &,,&,&,&,&
,,&&,,,&,,                                          &,&&&&&&&,
,&,&,,&&,,                                          &&,,,,,,&,
&&&&,&,&,&                                          ,&,,,,,&&,
,,,&&&&&&&                                          &&,,,,&,&&