¨¨¨^^/†§##                                          ##§†/^^¨¨¨
¨^-/†§¤###                                          ###¤§†/-^¨
¨^-/†§¤###                                          ###¤§†/-^¨
¨^-/†§¤###                                          ###¤§†/-^¨
¨^-/†§¤###                                          ###¤§†/-^¨
¨^-/†§¤###             #¨¨¨--------¨¨¨#             ###¤§†/-^¨
¨^-/†§¤###     ####¨-- 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         ###¤§†/-^¨
¨^-/†§¤¤¤#                                          #¤¤¤§†/-^¨
¨^-/†§####                                          ####§†/-^¨
¨¨¨¨^/††¤#                                          #¤††/^¨¨¨¨
¨^-/†§¤###                                          ###¤§†/-^¨
¨¨¨¨¨^-†¤¤                                          ¤¤†-^¨¨¨¨¨