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