###@$==~~¨ ¨~~==$@###
##@¤$==~~¨ ¨~~==$¤@##
#@@¤$==~~¨ ¨~~==$¤@@#
@$==~~¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨~~==$@
##@¤$==~~¨ ¨~~==$¤@##
##@¤$==~~¨ #¨¨¨~~~~~~~~¨¨¨# ¨~~==$¤@##
@@¤=~¨¨¨¨¨ ####¨~~ 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 ¨¨¨¨¨¨~~=¤
@¤$==~~¨¨¨ FROM THE LOCAL BEER THING ¨¨¨~~==$¤@
##@¤$==~~¨ ¨~~==$¤@##
@$$=~¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨~=$$@
##@¤$==~~¨ ¨~~==$¤@##
#¤==~¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨~==¤#
#@$==~¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨~==$@#