##@¤@%\~^. .^~\%@¤@##
#¤¤¤@%\~^. .^~\%@¤¤¤#
#@@@\\\~^. .^~\\\@@@#
##@¤@%\~^. .^~\%@¤@##
¤@\^...... ......^\@¤
¤%%%\~.... #...~~~~~~~~...# ....~\%%%¤
¤%\~...... ####.~~ 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 .^~\%@¤@##
@@¤¤@%\~^. .^~\%@¤¤@@
##@¤@%\~^. .^~\%@¤@##
###@¤%\~^. .^~\%¤@###
¤¤¤¤@%\~^. .^~\%@¤¤¤¤
##@¤@%\~^. .^~\%@¤@##