¤*~,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,~*¤
@#¤*;~,,,, ,,,,~;*¤#@
#@#¤**;~:, ,:~;**¤#@#
###¤**;~:, ,:~;**¤###
##¤¤**;~:, ,:~;**¤¤##
¤***;;~~:, #,,,~~~~~~~~,,,# ,:~~;;***¤
#@#¤**;~:, ####,~~ 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 ,:~;**¤#@@
@¤*~:,,,,, ,,,,,:~*¤@
@##¤**;~:, ,:~;**¤##@
¤*;~:::,,, ,,,:::~;*¤
@##¤**;~:, ,:~;**¤##@
#@#¤**;~:, ,:~;**¤#@#