#@††=,,,,, ,,,,,=††@#
##@#@†==., ,.==†@#@##
#@##@†==., ,.==†@##@#
##@#@†==., ,.==†@#@##
#@##@†==., ,.==†@##@#
@@##@†==., #,,,========,,,# ,.==†@##@@
##@#@†==., ####,== 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 ,.==†@####
####@†==., ,.==†@####
###†=,,,,, ,,,,,=†###
@###@†==., ,.==†@###@
#@##@†==., ,.==†@##@#
####@†==., ,.==†@####