¨,-=%*¤@## ##@¤*%=-,¨
¨¨¨¨¨--%¤@ @¤%--¨¨¨¨¨
¨,=%*¤@@## ##@@¤*%=,¨
¨,---%%%¤¤ ¤¤%%%---,¨
¨,-=%*¤@@# #@@¤*%=-,¨
¨¨¨¨,-%**¤ #¨¨¨--------¨¨¨# ¤**%-,¨¨¨¨
¨,-=%*¤@@# ####¨-- 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 @*%=,¨¨¨¨¨
¨,-=%*¤@@# #@@¤*%=-,¨
¨,-=%*¤@@# #@@¤*%=-,¨
¨,-=%*¤@## ##@¤*%=-,¨
¨-=%*¤@@## ##@@¤*%=-¨
¨¨¨--=%¤¤@ @¤¤%=--¨¨¨