,-«««§§$¤¤                                          ¤¤$§§«««-,
,-«†§$¤@##                                          ##@¤$§†«-,
,«†§$¤¶@##                                          ##@¶¤$§†«,
,-«†§$¤¶@#                                          #@¶¤$§†«-,
,-«†§$¶@##                                          ##@¶$§†«-,
,-«†§$¤¶@#             #,,,««««««««,,,#             #@¶¤$§†«-,
,-«†§$¤¶@@      ####,«« FERMI'S PARADOX ««,####     @@¶¤$§†«-,
,-«†§$¤¶@#             #,,,««««««««,,,#             #@¶¤$§†«-,
,,--†§$$¤@                                          @¤$$§†--,,
,,,,,-«†§¤ 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 ¤§««--,,,,
,-«†§$¤¶@@           HAS TO BE A PLANET!)           @@¶¤$§†«-,
,-«†§§§$¶¶                                          ¶¶$§§§†«-,
,-«†§$¤¶@# BUT  REALLY   ISN'T   THAT  KEEPING  THE #@¶¤$§†«-,
,,,,«†§§$¤      DEFINITION OF LIFE REALLY LAX?      ¤$§§†«,,,,
,,,,-«†$¶@                                          @¶$†«-,,,,
,-«†§$¤¤¤¤ I THINK EVERYONE AGREES THAT WE  HAVE NO ¤¤¤¤$§†«-,
,-«†§$¤¶@# IDEA WHAT WE'RE  DOING (AND IT  PROBABLY #@¶¤$§†«-,
,-«†§$¤¶##                  SHOWS)                  ##¶¤$§†«-,
,-«†§$¤@##                                          ##@¤$§†«-,
,-«†§$¤¶@@             #,,,««««««««,,,#             @@¶¤$§†«-,
,-«†§$¤¶@#      ####,«« FERMI'S PARADOX ««,####     #@¶¤$§†«-,
,-«†§$¤¶@#             #,,,««««««««,,,#             #@¶¤$§†«-,
,-«†§$¤¶@#                                          #@¶¤$§†«-,
,,,,-«§$¶@ I'M  GONNA GO  SMOKE MY THIRD  CIGARETTE @¶$§«-,,,,
,-«†§$¤¶@# THIS YEAR  AND  TRY TO SNATCH SOME BEERS #@¶¤$§†«-,
,-«†§$¤¤¶@        FROM THE LOCAL BEER THING         @¶¤¤$§†«-,
,,,«†§§¤¤@                                          @¤¤§§†«,,,
,,,--«§$¤¤                                          ¤¤$§«--,,,
,-«†§$¶@##                                          ##@¶$§†«-,
,,,-«†††$¤                                          ¤$†††«-,,,
,-«†§$¶@##                                          ##@¶$§†«-,