$^~,...... ......,~^$
^~,....... .......,~^
~,........ ........,~
,......... .........,
.......... ..........
,......... #...~~~~~~~~...# .........,
~,........ ####.~~ 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 ........,~
,......... .........,
.......... ..........
,......... .........,
~,........ ........,~
^~,....... .......,~^