¤==-.¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨.-==¤
££¤¤%==-.¨ ¨.-==%¤¤££
@£%===.¨¨¨ ¨¨¨.===%£@
@¤=--..¨¨¨ ¨¨¨..--=¤@
#@£¤%==-.¨ ¨.-==%¤£@#
¤%==.¨¨¨¨¨ #¨¨¨--------¨¨¨# ¨¨¨¨¨.==%¤
#@£¤%==-.¨ ####¨-- 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 ¨¨¨¨.====¤
@@£¤%==-.¨ ¨.-==%¤£@@
££¤=--.¨¨¨ ¨¨¨.--=¤££
££¤==-..¨¨ ¨¨..-==¤££
@@£¤%==-.¨ ¨.-==%¤£@@
#@£¤%==-.¨ ¨.-==%¤£@#