##@§$$^~-. .-~^$$§@##
#@@§$$^~-. .-~^$$§@@#
@$$~~..... .....~~$$@
§$^^^~--.. ..--~^^^$§
#@@§$$^~-. .-~^$$§@@#
@@§§$$^~-. #...~~~~~~~~...# .-~^$$§§@@
§$~~-..... ####.~~ FERMI'S PARADOX ~~.#### .....-~~$§
@@@§$$^~-. #...~~~~~~~~...# .-~^$$§@@@
#@@§$$^~-. .-~^$$§@@#
§§$$$$^~-. ON EARTH (THE PLANET WHERE I LIVE) A .-~^$$$$§§
#@@§$$^~-. 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 .-~^$$§@@#
§$^~...... ......~^$§
#@@§$$^~-. .-~^$$§@@#
@§$^^-.... ....-^^$§@
#@@§$$^~-. .-~^$$§@@#
##@§$$^~-. .-~^$$§@##