###§¤^\«,¨                                          ¨,«\^¤§###
§§^^^^\«,¨                                          ¨,«\^^^^§§
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##£§¤^\«,¨                                          ¨,«\^¤§£##
##£§¤^\«,¨                                          ¨,«\^¤§£##
##£§¤^\«,¨             #¨¨¨««««««««¨¨¨#             ¨,«\^¤§£##
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#££§¤^\«,¨             #¨¨¨««««««««¨¨¨#             ¨,«\^¤§££#
#§§§¤^\«,¨                                          ¨,«\^¤§§§#
#§¤\«,¨¨¨¨ 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)                  ¨,«\^¤§###
§^«,¨¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨¨,«^§
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§¤¤\«¨¨¨¨¨             #¨¨¨««««««««¨¨¨#             ¨¨¨¨¨«\¤¤§
§^^\«¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨«\^^§
##£§¤^\«,¨ I'M GONNA GO SMOKE  MY  THIRD  CIGARETTE ¨,«\^¤§£##
§^««,¨¨¨¨¨ THIS  YEAR AND TRY TO SNATCH SOME  BEERS ¨¨¨¨¨,««^§
#§¤\,¨¨¨¨¨        FROM THE LOCAL BEER THING         ¨¨¨¨¨,\¤§#
#§¤\«,¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨,«\¤§#
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#§§§¤^\«,¨                                          ¨,«\^¤§§§#
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£§^«¨¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨¨«^§£