&***~^,,,, ,,,,^~***&
¶@@^^~^,,, ,,,^~^^@@¶
&&@*^~^^,, ,,^^~^*@&&
#@¶&@*^~^, ,^~^*@&¶@#
&*^~^,,,,, ,,,,,^~^*&
¶@*~~,,,,, #,,,~~~~~~~~,,,# ,,,,,~~*@¶
&@@^^^,,,, ####,~~ 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 ,^~^**@@¶¶
&@^^~~^^^, ,^^^~~^^@&
#@¶&@*^~^, ,^~^*@&¶@#
#@¶&@*^~^, ,^~^*@&¶@#
#@¶&@*^~^, ,^~^*@&¶@#
&@*^~~~~^, ,^~~~~^*@&