¨¨¨¨¨¨~=@@ @@=~¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨~~~^=%%@@ @@%%=^~~~¨
¨¨~~~^=%%@ @%%=^~~~¨¨
¨~~^=%@@@# #@@@%=^~~¨
¨~~^=%@@@@ @@@@%=^~~¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨~=%@ #¨¨¨~~~~~~~~¨¨¨# @%=~¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨~~^=%@@@# ####¨~~ 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 @@%^^^~~~¨
¨~~^=%@@@# #@@@%=^~~¨
¨¨~~^==@@@ @@@==^~~¨¨
¨~~^=%@@## ##@@%=^~~¨
¨¨¨¨~~^%@@ @@%^~~¨¨¨¨
¨~~^=%@@@# #@@@%=^~~¨