.,-====¤¤¤ ¤¤¤====-,.
.,-==$¤@## ##@¤$==-,.
.,-==$$$¤# #¤$$$==-,.
.,-==$¤@## ##@¤$==-,.
....,-=$$@ @$$=-,....
.,-====¤¤¤ #...--------...# ¤¤¤====-,.
.,-==$¤@## ####.-- FERMI'S PARADOX --.#### ##@¤$==-,.
.,-=$¤@### #...--------...# ###@¤$=-,.
.,-==$¤@## ##@¤$==-,.
......,==¤ 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 #¤¤=--,...
...,===$@@ THIS YEAR AND TRY TO SNATCH SOME BEERS @@$===,...
.,-==$¤@## FROM THE LOCAL BEER THING ##@¤$==-,.
.,-==$¤@@@ @@@¤$==-,.
......-=¤¤ ¤¤=-......
.,-=$¤@### ###@¤$=-,.
.,-==$¤@## ##@¤$==-,.
.,-===$¤¤¤ ¤¤¤$===-,.