¨,-=%¤@@## ##@@¤%=-,¨
¨,-\=%¤@@# #@@¤%=\-,¨
¨¨,--\==¤¤ ¤¤==\--,¨¨
¨,-\=%¤@@# #@@¤%=\-,¨
¨¨¨¨¨,\=¤@ @¤=\,¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨,,,\%%¤@ #¨¨¨--------¨¨¨# @¤%%\,,,¨¨
¨¨,,\=%%%@ ####¨-- 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 @@@¤%=\-,¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨-=¤ ¤=-¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨,-=¤¤ ¤¤=-,¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨,-\=%¤@ @¤%=\-,¨¨¨
¨,-\=%¤@@@ @@@¤%=\-,¨
¨,-\===¤@@ @@¤===\-,¨