¨,«/=@&@## ##@&@=/«,¨
¨,«/=&@### ###@&=/«,¨
¨,«/=@&@@# #@@&@=/«,¨
¨¨¨¨,««=@@ @@=««,¨¨¨¨
¨,«/=@&@@@ @@@&@=/«,¨
¨,«/=@&@@@ #¨¨¨««««««««¨¨¨# @@@&@=/«,¨
¨,«/=@&@@# ####¨«« 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 ##@&@=/«,¨
¨,«/=@&@@# #@@&@=/«,¨
¨,«/=@&@## ##@&@=/«,¨
¨,«/=@&@## ##@&@=/«,¨
¨,«/=@&@## ##@&@=/«,¨
¨¨¨¨,/=&@@ @@&=/,¨¨¨¨