@$*=^..... .....^=*$@
$*=^...... ......^=*$
@$*=^..... .....^=*$@
@@$*=^.... ....^=*$@@
@@@$*=^... ...^=*$@@@
#@@@$*=^.. #...========...# ..^=*$@@@#
##@@@$*=^. ####.== FERMI'S PARADOX ==.#### .^=*$@@@##
#@@@$*=^.. #...========...# ..^=*$@@@#
@@@$*=^... ...^=*$@@@
@@$*=^.... ON EARTH (THE PLANET WHERE I LIVE) A ....^=*$@@
@$*=^..... LOT OF US HAVE ANTENNAS ON OUR HOUSES .....^=*$@
$*=^...... OR BALCONIES, WE HAVE BUILT LARGE ......^=*$
@$*=^..... ANTENNAS FOR LARGER BANDWITH, WE HAVE .....^=*$@
@@$*=^.... BUILD SPECIALIZED ANTENNAES FOR ....^=*$@@
@@@$*=^... SPECIFIC WAVELENGTHS (AND SENT THEM ...^=*$@@@
#@@@$*=^.. INTO ORBIT), WE'VE BUILT LARGE AS FUCK ..^=*$@@@#
##@@@$*=^. ANTENNA ARRAYS .^=*$@@@##
#@@@$*=^.. WE'VE VIRTUALLY BUILT AN ANTENNA WITH A ..^=*$@@@#
@@@$*=^... DISH AS LARGE AS EARTH. ...^=*$@@@
@@$*=^.... ....^=*$@@
@$*=^..... WE'VE LEARNED ABOUT OUR POSITION IN THE .....^=*$@
$*=^...... SOLAR SYSTEM, OUR SOLAR SYSTEMS ......^=*$
@$*=^..... PLACEMENT IN THE GALAXY, AND OUR .....^=*$@
@@$*=^.... GALAXYS PLACEMENT IN THE LOCAL CLUSTER, ....^=*$@@
@@@$*=^... AND =OUR= LOCAL CLUSTERS PLACE IN THE ...^=*$@@@
#@@@$*=^.. GRAND SCHEME OF THINGS ..^=*$@@@#
##@@@$*=^. .^=*$@@@##
#@@@$*=^.. AND WE'RE MOVING AROUND THE SUN AT ..^=*$@@@#
@@@$*=^... VELOCITY AND THE SUNS MOVING AROUND THE ...^=*$@@@
@@$*=^.... CENTER OF THE GALAXY AT VELOCITY AND ....^=*$@@
@$*=^..... THE GALAXY IS MOVING TOWARD ANDROMEDA .....^=*$@
$*=^...... AND WE'RE BOTH MOVING ANTICLOCKWISE ......^=*$
@$*=^..... AROUND THE GALAXY. AND WE AS A SPECIES .....^=*$@
@@$*=^.... HAVE LEARNED TO TAKE ALL THAT IN ACCOUNT ....^=*$@@
@@@$*=^... ...^=*$@@@
#@@@$*=^.. AND DESPITE ALL THIS, DESPITE ALL OUR ..^=*$@@@#
##@@@$*=^. (CLICHE) BEAMING OF FUCKING STELLAR .^=*$@@@##
#@@@$*=^.. RADIO PROGRAMMES OUT IN FUCKING SPACE ..^=*$@@@#
@@@$*=^... AT THE SPEED OF LIGHT (LIGHT IS OUR ...^=*$@@@
@@$*=^.... MEDIUM! GOODSPEED YOU, BLACK EMPEROR!), ....^=*$@@
@$*=^..... DESPITE GHOSTS HELPING AND THE .....^=*$@
$*=^...... COLLECTIVE CONSCIOUSNESS LOWPASS ......^=*$
@$*=^..... FILTERING, DESPITE OUR VERY OBVIOUS .....^=*$@
@@$*=^.... BEAMING OF ALL OUR SECRETS IN EVERY ....^=*$@@
@@@$*=^... DIRECTION KNOWN TO US, ...^=*$@@@
#@@@$*=^.. ..^=*$@@@#
##@@@$*=^. NO . ONE . HAS . ANSWERED .^=*$@@@##
#@@@$*=^.. ..^=*$@@@#
@@@$*=^... #...========...# ...^=*$@@@
@@$*=^.... ####.== FERMI'S PARADOX ==.#### ....^=*$@@
@$*=^..... #...========...# .....^=*$@
$*=^...... ......^=*$
@$*=^..... SO WHY IS THAT? .....^=*$@
@@$*=^.... ....^=*$@@
@@@$*=^... MOST OPPONENTS TO INTELLIGENT LIFE IN ...^=*$@@@
#@@@$*=^.. THE UNIVERSE SAY IT'S BECAUSE YOU NEED ..^=*$@@@#
##@@@$*=^. A CLASS ONE-OR-THE-OTHER STAR AND THE .^=*$@@@##
#@@@$*=^.. PLANET NEEDS TO BE AT A SEE-AND-SO ..^=*$@@@#
@@@$*=^... DISTANCE AWAY FROM THE STAR (LIKE THERE ...^=*$@@@
@@$*=^.... HAS TO BE A PLANET!) ....^=*$@@
@$*=^..... .....^=*$@
$*=^...... BUT REALLY ISN'T THAT KEEPING THE ......^=*$
@$*=^..... DEFINITION OF LIFE REALLY LAX? .....^=*$@
@@$*=^.... ....^=*$@@
@@@$*=^... I THINK EVERYONE AGREES THAT WE HAVE NO ...^=*$@@@
#@@@$*=^.. IDEA WHAT WE'RE DOING (AND IT PROBABLY ..^=*$@@@#
##@@@$*=^. SHOWS) .^=*$@@@##
#@@@$*=^.. ..^=*$@@@#
@@@$*=^... #...========...# ...^=*$@@@
@@$*=^.... ####.== FERMI'S PARADOX ==.#### ....^=*$@@
@$*=^..... #...========...# .....^=*$@
$*=^...... ......^=*$
@$*=^..... I'M GONNA GO SMOKE MY THIRD CIGARETTE .....^=*$@
@@$*=^.... THIS YEAR AND TRY TO SNATCH SOME BEERS ....^=*$@@
@@@$*=^... FROM THE LOCAL BEER THING ...^=*$@@@
#@@@$*=^.. ..^=*$@@@#
##@@@$*=^. .^=*$@@@##
#@@@$*=^.. ..^=*$@@@#
@@@$*=^... ...^=*$@@@
@@$*=^.... ....^=*$@@