,,,,,,,,,,                                          ,,,,,,,,,,
~,,,,,,,,,                                          ,,,,,,,,,~
=~,,,,,,,,                                          ,,,,,,,,~=
†=~,,,,,,,                                          ,,,,,,,~=†
$†=~,,,,,,                                          ,,,,,,~=†$
&$†=~,,,,,             #,,,~~~~~~~~,,,#             ,,,,,~=†$&
@&$†=~,,,,      ####,~~ FERMI'S PARADOX ~~,####     ,,,,~=†$&@
#@&$†=~,,,             #,,,~~~~~~~~,,,#             ,,,~=†$&@#
##@&$†=~,,                                          ,,~=†$&@##
#@&$†=~,,, ON  EARTH  (THE PLANET WHERE I  LIVE)  A ,,,~=†$&@#
@&$†=~,,,, LOT OF US HAVE  ANTENNAS  ON OUR  HOUSES ,,,,~=†$&@
&$†=~,,,,, OR  BALCONIES,   WE  HAVE   BUILT  LARGE ,,,,,~=†$&
$†=~,,,,,, ANTENNAS FOR LARGER  BANDWITH,  WE  HAVE ,,,,,,~=†$
†=~,,,,,,,     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 ~~,####     ,,,,,,,~=†
$†=~,,,,,,             #,,,~~~~~~~~,,,#             ,,,,,,~=†$
&$†=~,,,,,                                          ,,,,,~=†$&
@&$†=~,,,, I'M GONNA  GO SMOKE MY  THIRD  CIGARETTE ,,,,~=†$&@
#@&$†=~,,, THIS YEAR  AND TRY TO SNATCH  SOME BEERS ,,,~=†$&@#
##@&$†=~,,        FROM THE LOCAL BEER THING         ,,~=†$&@##
#@&$†=~,,,                                          ,,,~=†$&@#
@&$†=~,,,,                                          ,,,,~=†$&@
&$†=~,,,,,                                          ,,,,,~=†$&
$†=~,,,,,,                                          ,,,,,,~=†$
†=~,,,,,,,                                          ,,,,,,,~=†