,:=†*§@###                                          ###@§*†=:,
:=†=*§@###                                          ###@§*=†=:
,:=†=*§@@#                                          #@@§*=†=:,
,:=†=*§@##                                          ##@§*=†=:,
,:=†=*§@##                                          ##@§*=†=:,
,,:::††=*@             #,,,========,,,#             @*=††:::,,
,,,,,,=†*@      ####,== 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         ##@§*=†=:,
,:=†=*§@##                                          ##@§*=†=:,
,,,,:†**@#                                          #@**†:,,,,
,:=†=*§@##                                          ##@§*=†=:,
,:=†=*§@##                                          ##@§*=†=:,
,:=†=*§@##                                          ##@§*=†=:,