¨,=:†§§§#@ @#§§§†:=,¨
¨,=:†§@@## ##@@§†:=,¨
¨,=:†§@@## ##@@§†:=,¨
¨,==:††@@@ @@@††:==,¨
¨,=:†§@@@@ @@@@§†:=,¨
¨¨¨¨¨=†@@# #¨¨¨========¨¨¨# #@@†=¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨,=†@@ ####¨== 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 #@#@§†:=,¨
¨,=:†§@##@ @##@§†:=,¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨==†@ @†==¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨,=:†§@### ###@§†:=,¨
¨,=:†§@### ###@§†:=,¨
¨¨¨¨,=†§## ##§†=,¨¨¨¨