¨.«$%@@###                                          ###@@%$«.¨
¨¨¨.«†$@@@                                          @@@$†«.¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨«$$@@@                                          @@@$$«¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨.«††%%@                                          @%%††«.¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨.«$%@                                          @%$«.¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨«$$$@             #¨¨¨««««««««¨¨¨#             @$$$«¨¨¨¨¨
¨.«†$%@@@@     ####¨«« FERMI'S PARADOX ««¨####      @@@@%$†«.¨
¨.«†$%@@##             #¨¨¨««««««««¨¨¨#             ##@@%$†«.¨
¨.«†$%@@##                                          ##@@%$†«.¨
¨.«†$%@@## ON  EARTH (THE  PLANET WHERE I  LIVE)  A ##@@%$†«.¨
.«†$%@@### LOT OF US HAVE  ANTENNAS  ON OUR  HOUSES ###@@%$†«.
¨.«†$%@@@@ OR   BALCONIES,  WE   HAVE  BUILT  LARGE @@@@%$†«.¨
¨.«†$@@### ANTENNAS  FOR  LARGER BANDWITH,  WE HAVE ###@@$†«.¨
¨¨¨¨...†%@     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 @%%%††«¨¨¨
¨.«†$%@@##      DEFINITION OF LIFE REALLY LAX?      ##@@%$†«.¨
¨.«†$@@###                                          ###@@$†«.¨
¨.«††$%@@@ I THINK EVERYONE AGREES THAT  WE HAVE NO @@@%$††«.¨
¨.«†$%@@## IDEA  WHAT WE'RE DOING (AND IT  PROBABLY ##@@%$†«.¨
¨.«†$%@@##                  SHOWS)                  ##@@%$†«.¨
¨.«†$$$$%@                                          @%$$$$†«.¨
¨¨¨¨¨«$@@@             #¨¨¨««««««««¨¨¨#             @@@$«¨¨¨¨¨
¨.«†$%@@##     ####¨«« FERMI'S PARADOX ««¨####      ##@@%$†«.¨
¨¨¨¨¨«†$@@             #¨¨¨««««««««¨¨¨#             @@$†«¨¨¨¨¨
¨.«†$%@@##                                          ##@@%$†«.¨
¨.«†$%@@## I'M  GONNA GO  SMOKE  MY THIRD CIGARETTE ##@@%$†«.¨
¨¨¨¨.††%%@ THIS YEAR AND TRY  TO  SNATCH SOME BEERS @%%††.¨¨¨¨
¨.«†$@@###         FROM THE LOCAL BEER THING        ###@@$†«.¨
¨¨¨¨¨.†$$@                                          @$$†.¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨.†%%@                                          @%%†.¨¨¨¨¨
¨.«†$%@@##                                          ##@@%$†«.¨
¨¨¨..†$%%@                                          @%%$†..¨¨¨
¨¨..««$%@@                                          @@%$««..¨¨