#@@¤@†:=.. ..=:†@¤@@#
###¤@†:=.. ..=:†@¤###
###@@†:=.. ..=:†@@###
¤@@::..... .....::@@¤
@@:=...... ......=:@@
@@@¤@†:=.. #...========...# ..=:†@¤@@@
##@¤@†:=.. ####.== 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 ..=:†@¤###
##@¤@†:=.. ..=:†@¤@##
###¤@†:=.. ..=:†@¤###
#¤†=...... ......=†¤#
¤†:....... .......:†¤
#@¤†††:=.. ..=:†††¤@#