¨¨¨,«^*§£@                                          @£§*^«,¨¨¨
¨¨,«^*§£@#                                          #@£§*^«,¨¨
¨,«^*§£@##                                          ##@£§*^«,¨
¨¨,«^*§£@#                                          #@£§*^«,¨¨
¨¨¨,«^*§£@                                          @£§*^«,¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨,«^*§£             #¨¨¨««««««««¨¨¨#             £§*^«,¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨,«^*§£@     ####¨«« 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        ##@£§*^«,¨
¨¨,«^*§£@#                                          #@£§*^«,¨¨
¨¨¨,«^*§£@                                          @£§*^«,¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨,«^*§£                                          £§*^«,¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨,«^*§£@                                          @£§*^«,¨¨¨
¨¨,«^*§£@#                                          #@£§*^«,¨¨