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¨¨¨¨¨¨^:*¤ 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 ##¤*:^^¨¨¨
¨^«:*$¤### WE'VE VIRTUALLY BUILT AN ANTENNA WITH A ###¤$*:«^¨
¨¨¨¨«::$$¤ DISH AS LARGE AS EARTH. ¤$$::«¨¨¨¨
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¨¨¨^:*$$## WE'VE LEARNED ABOUT OUR POSITION IN THE ##$$*:^¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨^^«*¤ 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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¨¨¨¨¨¨«:$# #¨¨¨««««««««¨¨¨# #$:«¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨^«:*$¤### ###¤$*:«^¨
¨^«:*$¤### SO WHY IS THAT? ###¤$*:«^¨
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¨^«:*$¤¤## MOST OPPONENTS TO INTELLIGENT LIFE IN ##¤¤$*:«^¨
¨^«:*$¤### THE UNIVERSE SAY IT'S BECAUSE YOU NEED ###¤$*:«^¨
¨^«:*$¤### A CLASS ONE-OR-THE-OTHER STAR AND THE ###¤$*:«^¨
¨¨¨¨¨«««*¤ 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 ##¤*«^¨¨¨¨
¨^«:*$¤### DEFINITION OF LIFE REALLY LAX? ###¤$*:«^¨
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¨¨¨¨^^::$# I THINK EVERYONE AGREES THAT WE HAVE NO #$::^^¨¨¨¨
¨^«:*$¤### IDEA WHAT WE'RE DOING (AND IT PROBABLY ###¤$*:«^¨
¨¨¨¨^^:*$# SHOWS) #$*:^^¨¨¨¨
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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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