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.,-*†@§###     ####.-- FERMI'S PARADOX --.####      ###§@†*-,.
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.,-*†@§###                                          ###§@†*-,.
....,--*@# 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 --.####      ##@*--....
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...,,,**@#                                          #@**,,,...
......,*@§             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)                  ####§@†*,.
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......-†§§      ####.-- FERMI'S PARADOX --.####     §§†-......
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.,-*†@####                                          ####@†*-,.
.,-*†@§### I'M  GONNA GO SMOKE  MY  THIRD CIGARETTE ###§@†*-,.
.,-*†@§### THIS YEAR  AND TRY  TO SNATCH SOME BEERS ###§@†*-,.
.,-*†@@@@§        FROM THE LOCAL BEER THING         §@@@@†*-,.
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