,,=^%$@@## ##@@$%^=,,
,,,,,^^$@@ @@$^^,,,,,
,,=^%$@@## ##@@$%^=,,
,,=^%$@@## ##@@$%^=,,
,,=^%$@@## ##@@$%^=,,
,,,,,,=^$@ #,,,========,,,# @$^=,,,,,,
,,=^%$@@## ####,== FERMI'S PARADOX ==,#### ##@@$%^=,,
,,=^%$@@## #,,,========,,,# ##@@$%^=,,
,,=^%$@@@# #@@@$%^=,,
,,=^%$@@## ON EARTH (THE PLANET WHERE I LIVE) A ##@@$%^=,,
,,,,,,=^%@ 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 @%%=,,,,,,
,,,,,,^%%@ @%%^,,,,,,
,,=^%$@@## ##@@$%^=,,
,,=^$@@### ###@@$^=,,
,,,,^^^^$@ @$^^^^,,,,
,,,,,,,^$@ @$^,,,,,,,