##¶@%^;~^. .^~;^%@¶##
#¶@%^;~^.. ..^~;^%@¶#
¶@%^;~^... ...^~;^%@¶
#¶@%^;~^.. ..^~;^%@¶#
##¶@%^;~^. .^~;^%@¶##
#¶@%^;~^.. #...~~~~~~~~...# ..^~;^%@¶#
¶@%^;~^... ####.~~ 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 ...^~;^%@¶
#¶@%^;~^.. ..^~;^%@¶#
##¶@%^;~^. .^~;^%@¶##
#¶@%^;~^.. ..^~;^%@¶#
¶@%^;~^... ...^~;^%@¶
#¶@%^;~^.. ..^~;^%@¶#