##¶¤§=;~.¨ ¨.~;=§¤¶##
#¶¤§=;~.¨¨ ¨¨.~;=§¤¶#
¶¤§=;~.¨¨¨ ¨¨¨.~;=§¤¶
¤§=;~.¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨.~;=§¤
§=;~.¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨.~;=§
=;~.¨¨¨¨¨¨ #¨¨¨~~~~~~~~¨¨¨# ¨¨¨¨¨¨.~;=
;~.¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ####¨~~ 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 ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨.~;
=;~.¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨.~;=
§=;~.¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨.~;=§
¤§=;~.¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨.~;=§¤
¶¤§=;~.¨¨¨ ¨¨¨.~;=§¤¶
#¶¤§=;~.¨¨ ¨¨.~;=§¤¶#