#§§§§*/~^¨                                          ¨^~/*§§§§#
§§§**~~~^¨                                          ¨^~~~**§§§
#@§//^^^¨¨                                          ¨¨^^^//§@#
###@§*/~^¨                                          ¨^~/*§@###
##@§§*/~^¨                                          ¨^~/*§§@##
§§§***/~^¨             #¨¨¨~~~~~~~~¨¨¨#             ¨^~/***§§§
@§*///~~^¨      ####¨~~ 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        ^~/*§§@###
#@@§§*/~^¨                                          ¨^~/*§§@@#
###@§§*/~¨                                          ¨~/*§§@###
#@@§§*/~^¨                                          ¨^~/*§§@@#
##@§§*/~^¨                                          ¨^~/*§§@##
###@§§*~^¨                                          ¨^~*§§@###