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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          ¨¨,---===§
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##¶§£=^-,¨ 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,          ¨,-^=£¶###
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§£^,¨¨¨¨¨¨ NO   ¨   ONE    ¨   HAS    ¨    ANSWERED ¨¨¨¨¨¨,^£§
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¶¶§§£=^-,¨             #¨¨¨--------¨¨¨#             ¨,-^=£§§¶¶
¶¶§==^-,¨¨      ####¨-- 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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¶£^,,¨¨¨¨¨             #¨¨¨--------¨¨¨#             ¨¨¨¨¨,,^£¶
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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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