#@#§¤$†=~, ,~=†$¤§#@#
#@#§¤$†=~, ,~=†$¤§#@#
##§§¤$†=~, ,~=†$¤§§##
@@#§¤$†=~, ,~=†$¤§#@@
@@#§¤$†=~, ,~=†$¤§#@@
§§¤$††~~~, #,,,========,,,# ,~~~††$¤§§
##@#§$†=~, ####,== FERMI'S PARADOX ==,#### ,~=†$§#@##
#@#§¤$†=~, #,,,========,,,# ,~=†$¤§#@#
#¤†==~~,,, ,,,~~==†¤#
§¤¤††=,,,, 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 ,,,,~†¤¤¤#
#@#§¤$†=~, FROM THE LOCAL BEER THING ,~=†$¤§#@#
#@#§¤$†=~, ,~=†$¤§#@#
##@§¤$†=~, ,~=†$¤§@##
#§$=~~~,,, ,,,~~~=$§#
###§¤$†=~, ,~=†$¤§###
@§§$=,,,,, ,,,,,=$§§@