¤$§§§-~,,, ,,,~-§§§$¤
###¤$§*-~, ,~-*§$¤###
¤$*~,,,,,, ,,,,,,~*$¤
####¤$§-~, ,~-§$¤####
¤$*~,,,,,, ,,,,,,~*$¤
#¤$$*-,,,, #,,,--------,,,# ,,,,-*$$¤#
###¤$§*-~, ####,-- FERMI'S PARADOX --,#### ,~-*§$¤###
###¤$§*-~, #,,,--------,,,# ,~-*§$¤###
#$*--,,,,, ,,,,,--*$#
###¤$§*-~, ON EARTH (THE PLANET WHERE I LIVE) A ,~-*§$¤###
###¤$§*-~, LOT OF US HAVE ANTENNAS ON OUR HOUSES ,~-*§$¤###
###¤$§*-~, OR BALCONIES, WE HAVE BUILT LARGE ,~-*§$¤###
###¤$§*-~, ANTENNAS FOR LARGER BANDWITH, WE HAVE ,~-*§$¤###
¤$**--~,,, BUILD SPECIALIZED ANTENNAES FOR ,,,~--**$¤
###¤$§*-~, SPECIFIC WAVELENGTHS (AND SENT THEM ,~-*§$¤###
###¤$§*-~, INTO ORBIT), WE'VE BUILT LARGE AS FUCK ,~-*§$¤###
###¤$§*-~, ANTENNA ARRAYS ,~-*§$¤###
##$$§§*-~, WE'VE VIRTUALLY BUILT AN ANTENNA WITH A ,~-*§§$$##
¤§*~~,,,,, 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 ,,~~~~-§§¤
###¤$§*-~, FROM THE LOCAL BEER THING ,~-*§$¤###
###¤$§*-~, ,~-*§$¤###
###¤$§*-~, ,~-*§$¤###
##$§-,,,,, ,,,,,-§$##
####¤§*-~, ,~-*§¤####
#¤§*--~~~, ,~~~--*§¤#