#@#&%†\~:, ,:~\†%&#@#
#@#&%†\~:, ,:~\†%&#@#
@#&%†\~,,, ,,,~\†%&#@
#&†\~~~~:, ,:~~~~\†&#
#&†\\~:::, ,:::~\\†&#
&†~~~~~,,, #,,,~~~~~~~~,,,# ,,,~~~~~†&
#@#&%†\~:, ####,~~ 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 ,:~\†%&#@@
&%\~~~~,,, ,,,~~~~\%&
&%\:,,,,,, ,,,,,,:\%&
#&%%††\~:, ,:~\††%%&#
#&%\~:,,,, ,,,,:~\%&#
##&&%†\~:, ,:~\†%&&##