##@#%†:~., ,.~:†%#@##
@@%:.,,,,, ,,,,,.:%@@
@%†~.,,,,, ,,,,,.~†%@
##@#%†:~., ,.~:†%#@##
##@#%†:~., ,.~:†%#@##
##@#%†:~., #,,,~~~~~~~~,,,# ,.~:†%#@##
##@#%†:~., ####,~~ 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 ,,,,,,.:%@
@%::.,,,,, ,,,,,.::%@
@#†~...,,, ,,,...~†#@
##@#%†:~., ,.~:†%#@##
##@#%†:~., ,.~:†%#@##
##@#%†:~., ,.~:†%#@##