#£@†^^^=.,                                          ,.=^^^†@£#
##£&@†^=.,                                          ,.=^†@&£##
###&@†^=.,                                          ,.=^†@&###
£@^^^.,,,,                                          ,,,,.^^^@£
£&@@@†^=.,                                          ,.=^†@@@&£
#&†=,,,,,,             #,,,========,,,#             ,,,,,,=†&#
&†=..,,,,,      ####,== 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        .=^†@&£###
###£&†^=.,                                          ,.=^†&£###
##£&@†^=.,                                          ,.=^†@&£##
#&†^=..,,,                                          ,,,..=^†&#
&&&†††^=.,                                          ,.=^†††&&&
&†††^^==.,                                          ,.==^^†††&