#@£¤$%;--¨                                          ¨--;%$¤£@#
#@£¤$%;--¨                                          ¨--;%$¤£@#
#@£¤$%;--¨                                          ¨--;%$¤£@#
¤%%%--¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨--%%%¤
##@¤$%;--¨                                          ¨--;%$¤@##
£££¤$%;--¨             #¨¨¨--------¨¨¨#             ¨--;%$¤£££
#@£¤$%;--¨      ####¨-- FERMI'S PARADOX --¨####     ¨--;%$¤£@#
¤$;;;;-¨¨¨             #¨¨¨--------¨¨¨#             ¨¨¨-;;;;$¤
#@£¤$%;--¨                                          ¨--;%$¤£@#
£$$;-----¨ ON EARTH (THE PLANET  WHERE  I  LIVE)  A ¨-----;$$£
#@£¤$%;--¨ LOT OF US HAVE  ANTENNAS  ON  OUR HOUSES ¨--;%$¤£@#
##@¤$%;--¨ OR   BALCONIES,  WE  HAVE  BUILT   LARGE ¨--;%$¤@##
#@£¤$%;--¨ ANTENNAS FOR LARGER  BANDWITH,  WE  HAVE ¨--;%$¤£@#
¤¤¤%;;---¨      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?      ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨-%¤
##£¤$%;--¨                                          ¨--;%$¤£##
#@£¤$%;--¨ I THINK  EVERYONE AGREES THAT WE HAVE NO ¨--;%$¤£@#
@@£¤$%;--¨ IDEA WHAT  WE'RE DOING (AND  IT PROBABLY ¨--;%$¤£@@
##£¤$%;--¨                  SHOWS)                  ¨--;%$¤£##
#@£¤$%;--¨                                          ¨--;%$¤£@#
#@£¤$%;--¨             #¨¨¨--------¨¨¨#             ¨--;%$¤£@#
£$;-¨¨¨¨¨¨      ####¨-- FERMI'S PARADOX --¨####     ¨¨¨¨¨¨-;$£
@££¤$%;--¨             #¨¨¨--------¨¨¨#             ¨--;%$¤££@
¤%;;;;;--¨                                          ¨--;;;;;%¤
£¤¤$;---¨¨ I'M  GONNA GO SMOKE  MY THIRD  CIGARETTE ¨¨---;$¤¤£
#@£¤$%;--¨ THIS  YEAR AND TRY  TO SNATCH SOME BEERS ¨--;%$¤£@#
#@£¤$%;--¨        FROM THE LOCAL BEER THING         ¨--;%$¤£@#
¤%%;;---¨¨                                          ¨¨---;;%%¤
##@£¤$;--¨                                          ¨--;$¤£@##
¤$$;--¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨--;$$¤
#@£¤$%;--¨                                          ¨--;%$¤£@#
£¤¤¤$%;--¨                                          ¨--;%$¤¤¤£