###§¤^\«,¨ ¨,«\^¤§###
§§^^^^\«,¨ ¨,«\^^^^§§
##£§¤^\«,¨ ¨,«\^¤§£##
##£§¤^\«,¨ ¨,«\^¤§£##
##£§¤^\«,¨ ¨,«\^¤§£##
##£§¤^\«,¨ #¨¨¨««««««««¨¨¨# ¨,«\^¤§£##
§§¤\\\\«,¨ ####¨«« 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 ¨¨¨¨¨,\¤§#
#§¤\«,¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨,«\¤§#
£¤¤\\\\«,¨ ¨,«\\\\¤¤£
#§§§¤^\«,¨ ¨,«\^¤§§§#
#§§§¤^\«,¨ ¨,«\^¤§§§#
£§^«¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨«^§£