,,,,.~/%*@                                          @*%/~.,,,,
,,,,,.~/%*                                          *%/~.,,,,,
,,,,,,.~/%                                          %/~.,,,,,,
,,,,,,,.~/                                          /~.,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,.~                                          ~.,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,.             #,,,~~~~~~~~,,,#             .,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,,     ####,~~ 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         @#@*%/~.,,
,.~/%*@#@#                                          #@#@*%/~.,
,,.~/%*@#@                                          @#@*%/~.,,
,,,.~/%*@#                                          #@*%/~.,,,
,,,,.~/%*@                                          @*%/~.,,,,
,,,,,.~/%*                                          *%/~.,,,,,