.:~^%¤¤£##                                          ##£¤¤%^~:.
.:~^%¤¤£##                                          ##£¤¤%^~:.
.:~^%¤¤£##                                          ##£¤¤%^~:.
.:~^%¤¤¤¤¤                                          ¤¤¤¤¤%^~:.
.....~^^¤£                                          £¤^^~.....
...::^%¤££             #...~~~~~~~~...#             ££¤%^::...
.....::^%¤      ####.~~ 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         £¤^^^^^~:.
...:^^^%¤#                                          #¤%^^^:...
.:~^%¤£###                                          ###£¤%^~:.
....:^^¤¤¤                                          ¤¤¤^^:....
.:::~%¤¤£#                                          #£¤¤%~:::.
.:~^%¤¤£##                                          ##£¤¤%^~:.