.,-\†%¤£##                                          ##£¤%†\-,.
.,-\†%¤¤££                                          ££¤¤%†\-,.
.....-†¤¤¤                                          ¤¤¤†-.....
.,-\†††%%£                                          £%%†††\-,.
.,-\†%¤£##                                          ##£¤%†\-,.
.,-\†%¤£##             #...--------...#             ##£¤%†\-,.
.,-\†%¤¤££      ####.-- 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        ##£¤%†\-,.
...,--\%%¤                                          ¤%%\--,...
.....-\†¤#                                          #¤†\-.....
...,,\\†%¤                                          ¤%†\\,,...
.....--††¤                                          ¤††--.....
.,-\†%¤£##                                          ##£¤%†\-,.