.,«†^$§###                                          ###§$^†«,.
....,««^$§                                          §$^««,....
.....«†^§§                                          §§^†«.....
.,«†††^^$#                                          #$^^†††«,.
....,,«^^§                                          §^^«,,....
.,«†^$§###             #...««««««««...#             ###§$^†«,.
.,«†^$§§§#     ####.«« FERMI'S PARADOX ««.####      #§§§$^†«,.
.,«†^$§###             #...««««««««...#             ###§$^†«,.
.....«^$§§                                          §§$^«.....
....«^$§§# ON EARTH  (THE PLANET  WHERE  I LIVE)  A #§§$^«....
.,«†^$§### LOT OF US HAVE  ANTENNAS  ON OUR  HOUSES ###§$^†«,.
.,«†^$§### OR   BALCONIES,  WE   HAVE  BUILT  LARGE ###§$^†«,.
.,««†^$$§# ANTENNAS FOR  LARGER  BANDWITH, WE  HAVE #§$$^†««,.
......«^§§      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 §^†,,,,...
...«†††$§#                  SHOWS)                  #§$†††«...
...,««†$$§                                          §$$†««,...
.,«†^$§###             #...««««««««...#             ###§$^†«,.
.,«†^$§§§§      ####.«« FERMI'S PARADOX ««.####     §§§§$^†«,.
.....,†$##             #...««««««««...#             ##$†,.....
.,«†^$§###                                          ###§$^†«,.
....«†^^$# I'M GONNA  GO  SMOKE  MY THIRD CIGARETTE #$^^†«....
.,«†^$§### THIS YEAR AND TRY TO SNATCH  SOME  BEERS ###§$^†«,.
.....,†$§#        FROM THE LOCAL BEER THING         #§$†,.....
.,«†^$$$##                                          ##$$$^†«,.
.....,,†$§                                          §$†,,.....
.,«†^$§###                                          ###§$^†«,.
.,«†^$§###                                          ###§$^†«,.
.,«†^^^$§#                                          #§$^^^†«,.