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¨~-^^*§#@@ @@#§*^^-~¨
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¨~-^^*§#@# #¨¨¨--------¨¨¨# #@#§*^^-~¨
¨¨¨¨¨~^**§ §**^~¨¨¨¨¨
¨~-^^^*§#@ 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 §*^^^-¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨~~--^*# #*^--~~¨¨¨
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