.-=^%§#### ####§%^=-.
.-=^^^^§## ##§^^^^=-.
...---^^%# #%^^---...
.-=^%§#### ####§%^=-.
.....==^§# #§^==.....
.-=^%§#### #...========...# ####§%^=-.
.-=^%§#### ####.== 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 ####§%^=-.
....-==%## ##%==-....
.....-^§§# #§§^-.....
.-===%%§## ##§%%===-.
.-=^%§#### ####§%^=-.
......=^§# #§^=......