....~^^$ #&$^^~....
.~»^$$## ###&$$^»~.
.....»$$ #&$$».....
.~»$$### ####&$$»~.
....~~^^$& &$^^~~....
.~»^$$## #...»»»»»»»»...# ###&$$^»~.
....»^$# ####.»» FERMI'S PARADOX »».#### ##&$^»....
.....~»^$& #...»»»»»»»»...# &$^»~.....
.....~»^$& &$^»~.....
....~»^^$# ON EARTH (THE PLANET WHERE I LIVE) A #$^^»~....
..~~»^^$$# LOT OF US HAVE ANTENNAS ON OUR HOUSES #$$^^»~~..
.~»^$$$$ OR BALCONIES, WE HAVE BUILT LARGE #&$$$$^»~.
.~»^$$## 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 &$$^^»»~..
.~»^$$&& #&&&$$^»~.
.....~^$$& &$$^~.....
.~»^$$## ###&$$^»~.
.~»^$$$& #&&$$$^»~.
..~~^$$$$& &$$$$^~~..