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.~«†§%§§§#                                          #§§§%§†«~.
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.~«†§%£###     ####.«« 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)                  #£%§«~....
.~«†§%§£##                                          ##£§%§†«~.
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.~«†§%§£##      ####.«« 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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.~«†§%§£##                                          ##£§%§†«~.