#@@&$=^~,¨ ¨,~^=$&@@#
#@@&$=^~,¨ ¨,~^=$&@@#
##@&$=^~,¨ ¨,~^=$&@##
@$$=^^,¨¨¨ ¨¨¨,^^=$$@
##@&$=^~,¨ ¨,~^=$&@##
#@@&$=^~,¨ #¨¨¨~~~~~~~~¨¨¨# ¨,~^=$&@@#
##@&$=^~,¨ ####¨~~ FERMI'S PARADOX ~~¨#### ¨,~^=$&@##
&$^,¨¨¨¨¨¨ #¨¨¨~~~~~~~~¨¨¨# ¨¨¨¨¨¨,^$&
@&==~¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨~==&@
&$=^~¨¨¨¨¨ ON EARTH (THE PLANET WHERE I LIVE) A ¨¨¨¨¨~^=$&
&$^~,,¨¨¨¨ LOT OF US HAVE ANTENNAS ON OUR HOUSES ¨¨¨¨,,~^$&
@@@&$=^~,¨ OR BALCONIES, WE HAVE BUILT LARGE ¨,~^=$&@@@
#@@&$=^~,¨ ANTENNAS FOR LARGER BANDWITH, WE HAVE ¨,~^=$&@@#
##@@$=^~,¨ BUILD SPECIALIZED ANTENNAES FOR ¨,~^=$@@##
@@@&$=^~,¨ SPECIFIC WAVELENGTHS (AND SENT THEM ¨,~^=$&@@@
@@@&$=^~,¨ INTO ORBIT), WE'VE BUILT LARGE AS FUCK ¨,~^=$&@@@
##@@&$=~,¨ ANTENNA ARRAYS ¨,~=$&@@##
&$$$=~¨¨¨¨ WE'VE VIRTUALLY BUILT AN ANTENNA WITH A ¨¨¨¨~=$$$&
@&&=~¨¨¨¨¨ 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 ¨¨¨¨¨,~^=&
&$$=^^~,¨¨ ¨¨,~^^=$$&
#@@&$=^~,¨ ¨,~^=$&@@#
@&&$^^^~,¨ ¨,~^^^$&&@
@@@&$=^~,¨ ¨,~^=$&@@@
#@@&$=^~,¨ ¨,~^=$&@@#