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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 ....&&..&&
....&&&&&& .&&......&
.&&..&&&&& #...»»»»»»»»...# ....&&&&..
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.&&&&..&&. #...»»»»»»»»...# ..........
..&&...... .&&&&&&&&&
.....&&&&. 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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&&&&&&&&&& &&&&&&&&&&
&&&&&&&&&& I'M GONNA GO SMOKE MY THIRD CIGARETTE &&&&&&&&&&
&&&&&&&&&& THIS YEAR AND TRY TO SNATCH SOME BEERS &&&&&&&&&&
&&&&&&&&&& FROM THE LOCAL BEER THING &&&&&&&&&&
&&&&&&&&&& &&&&&&&&&&
&&&&&&&&&& &&&&&&&&&&
&&&&&&&&&& &&&&&&&&&&
&&&&&&&&&& &&&&&&&&&&
&&&&&&&&&& &&&&&&&&&&