@**$~,,,,, ,,,,,~$**@
##@@*$*~., ,.~*$*@@##
#@$$$$*~., ,.~*$$$$@#
#**$$~,,,, ,,,,~$$**#
##@#*$*~., ,.~*$*#@##
#@#@*$*~., #,,,~~~~~~~~,,,# ,.~*$*@#@#
@@***.,,,, ####,~~ FERMI'S PARADOX ~~,#### ,,,,.***@@
@@@@*$*~., #,,,~~~~~~~~,,,# ,.~*$*@@@@
#@#@*$*~., ,.~*$*@#@#
#@#@*$*~., ON EARTH (THE PLANET WHERE I LIVE) A ,.~*$*@#@#
@@*$*...., LOT OF US HAVE ANTENNAS ON OUR HOUSES ,....*$*@@
@**$~,,,,, OR BALCONIES, WE HAVE BUILT LARGE ,,,,,~$**@
#@#@*$*~., ANTENNAS FOR LARGER BANDWITH, WE HAVE ,.~*$*@#@#
##**$$*~., 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!), ,,,,.*$$@@
@@@$**~,,, DESPITE GHOSTS HELPING AND THE ,,,~**$@@@
@@#@*$*~., COLLECTIVE CONSCIOUSNESS LOWPASS ,.~*$*@#@@
@@*$*~,,,, FILTERING, DESPITE OUR VERY OBVIOUS ,,,,~*$*@@
###@*$*~., BEAMING OF ALL OUR SECRETS IN EVERY ,.~*$*@###
@#***$*~., DIRECTION KNOWN TO US, ,.~*$***#@
#@#@*$*~., ,.~*$*@#@#
@@#@*$*~., NO , ONE , HAS , ANSWERED ,.~*$*@#@@
###@*$*~., ,.~*$*@###
@#@**$*~., #,,,~~~~~~~~,,,# ,.~*$**@#@
@@#@*$*~., ####,~~ FERMI'S PARADOX ~~,#### ,.~*$*@#@@
@$****.,,, #,,,~~~~~~~~,,,# ,,,.****$@
#@#@*$*~., ,.~*$*@#@#
@$*..,,,,, SO WHY IS THAT? ,,,,,..*$@
@**~~~..., ,...~~~**@
##@#@*$~., MOST OPPONENTS TO INTELLIGENT LIFE IN ,.~$*@#@##
@@*$~~,,,, THE UNIVERSE SAY IT'S BECAUSE YOU NEED ,,,,~~$*@@
@@#@*$*~., A CLASS ONE-OR-THE-OTHER STAR AND THE ,.~*$*@#@@
@@@$***~., PLANET NEEDS TO BE AT A SEE-AND-SO ,.~***$@@@
@@#@*$*~., DISTANCE AWAY FROM THE STAR (LIKE THERE ,.~*$*@#@@
##*$~,,,,, HAS TO BE A PLANET!) ,,,,,~$*##
#@#@*$*~., ,.~*$*@#@#
@$~~~,,,,, BUT REALLY ISN'T THAT KEEPING THE ,,,,,~~~$@
#@#@*$*~., DEFINITION OF LIFE REALLY LAX? ,.~*$*@#@#
#@**...,,, ,,,...**@#
##@#@*$*., I THINK EVERYONE AGREES THAT WE HAVE NO ,.*$*@#@##
@@#@*$*~., IDEA WHAT WE'RE DOING (AND IT PROBABLY ,.~*$*@#@@
#@#@*$*~., SHOWS) ,.~*$*@#@#
##@#@$*~., ,.~*$@#@##
@@@**.,,,, #,,,~~~~~~~~,,,# ,,,,.**@@@
#*****.,,, ####,~~ FERMI'S PARADOX ~~,#### ,,,.*****#
@$$~.,,,,, #,,,~~~~~~~~,,,# ,,,,,.~$$@
###@*$*~., ,.~*$*@###
##@@*$*~., I'M GONNA GO SMOKE MY THIRD CIGARETTE ,.~*$*@@##
#@#@*$*~., THIS YEAR AND TRY TO SNATCH SOME BEERS ,.~*$*@#@#
##@#@**~., FROM THE LOCAL BEER THING ,.~**@#@##
#@$$~,,,,, ,,,,,~$$@#
#@#@*$*~., ,.~*$*@#@#
@$*...,,,, ,,,,...*$@
@##@*$*~., ,.~*$*@##@
#@#@*$*~., ,.~*$*@#@#