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###&&$:-~¨ #¨¨¨--------¨¨¨# ¨~-:$&&###
#&:::~~¨¨¨ ####¨-- 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, ¨¨¨¨¨~-:&&
&$:~~¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨~~:$&
###&&$:-~¨ NO ¨ ONE ¨ HAS ¨ ANSWERED ¨~-:$&&###
##&$-¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨-$&##
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####&$:-~¨ ¨~-:$&####
&$:--¨¨¨¨¨ SO WHY IS THAT? ¨¨¨¨¨--:$&
##&&:--¨¨¨ ¨¨¨--:&&##
&&&&$-¨¨¨¨ MOST OPPONENTS TO INTELLIGENT LIFE IN ¨¨¨¨-$&&&&
##&$--¨¨¨¨ THE UNIVERSE SAY IT'S BECAUSE YOU NEED ¨¨¨¨--$&##
&$$::---~¨ A CLASS ONE-OR-THE-OTHER STAR AND THE ¨~---::$$&
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###&&$:-~¨ DISTANCE AWAY FROM THE STAR (LIKE THERE ¨~-:$&&###
###&&$:-~¨ HAS TO BE A PLANET!) ¨~-:$&&###
###&&$:-~¨ ¨~-:$&&###
&&&$$:~~~¨ BUT REALLY ISN'T THAT KEEPING THE ¨~~~:$$&&&
&&&&&$:-~¨ DEFINITION OF LIFE REALLY LAX? ¨~-:$&&&&&
###&&$:-~¨ ¨~-:$&&###
&&$$---¨¨¨ I THINK EVERYONE AGREES THAT WE HAVE NO ¨¨¨---$$&&
###&&$:-~¨ IDEA WHAT WE'RE DOING (AND IT PROBABLY ¨~-:$&&###
&&&:~¨¨¨¨¨ SHOWS) ¨¨¨¨¨~:&&&
#&&:--¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨--:&&#
###&&$:-~¨ #¨¨¨--------¨¨¨# ¨~-:$&&###
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###&&$:-~¨ ¨~-:$&&###
#&$:-~¨¨¨¨ I'M GONNA GO SMOKE MY THIRD CIGARETTE ¨¨¨¨~-:$&#
###&&$:-~¨ THIS YEAR AND TRY TO SNATCH SOME BEERS ¨~-:$&&###
###&&$:-~¨ FROM THE LOCAL BEER THING ¨~-:$&&###
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