.....-;*@@ @@*;-.....
.--;*$@### ###@$*;--.
.....-;*@# #@*;-.....
.--;*$@### ###@$*;--.
.--;*$$@## ##@$$*;--.
.--;*@#### #...--------...# ####@*;--.
.--;*$@### ####.-- FERMI'S PARADOX --.#### ###@$*;--.
...---;*$@ #...--------...# @$*;---...
.----**$$@ @$$**----.
....--;;*@ 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 @@@**;-...
.--;*$@### FROM THE LOCAL BEER THING ###@$*;--.
.....-*@@# #@@*-.....
.....-;*$@ @$*;-.....
.--;*$#### ####$*;--.
.--;*$@### ###@$*;--.
.--;*$@### ###@$*;--.