@**†††---¨ ¨---†††**@
##@@$*†~-¨ ¨-~†*$@@##
##@@$*†~-¨ ¨-~†*$@@##
##@@$*†~-¨ ¨-~†*$@@##
@@@@$*†~-¨ ¨-~†*$@@@@
##@@$*†~-¨ #¨¨¨~~~~~~~~¨¨¨# ¨-~†*$@@##
@**~-¨¨¨¨¨ ####¨~~ 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 ¨-~~~†*$$@
###@@*†~-¨ THIS YEAR AND TRY TO SNATCH SOME BEERS ¨-~†*@@###
@$†~-¨¨¨¨¨ FROM THE LOCAL BEER THING ¨¨¨¨¨-~†$@
@$$$$*†~-¨ ¨-~†*$$$$@
##@@$*†~-¨ ¨-~†*$@@##
##@@$*†~-¨ ¨-~†*$@@##
##@@$*†~-¨ ¨-~†*$@@##
##@@$*†~-¨ ¨-~†*$@@##