,,^-=*£&## ##&£*=-^,,
,,,^-=*£&# #&£*=-^,,,
,,,,^-=*£& &£*=-^,,,,
,,,,,^-=*£ £*=-^,,,,,
,,,,,,^-=* *=-^,,,,,,
,,,,,,,^-= #,,,--------,,,# =-^,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,^- ####,-- 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 *=-^,,,,,,
,,,,,^-=*£ £*=-^,,,,,
,,,,^-=*£& &£*=-^,,,,
,,,^-=*£&# #&£*=-^,,,
,,^-=*£&## ##&£*=-^,,
,^-=*£&### ###&£*=-^,