,^«†%$#¶##                                          ##¶#$%†«^,
,^«†††$$¶#                                          #¶$$†††«^,
,^«†%$#¶##                                          ##¶#$%†«^,
,^«†%$#¶##                                          ##¶#$%†«^,
,^«†%$#¶##                                          ##¶#$%†«^,
,^«†%$#¶##             #,,,««««««««,,,#             ##¶#$%†«^,
,^«†%$#¶¶#     ####,«« FERMI'S PARADOX ««,####      #¶¶#$%†«^,
,^«†%$#¶##             #,,,««««««««,,,#             ##¶#$%†«^,
,^«†%$#¶##                                          ##¶#$%†«^,
,,,,^†%$#¶ ON EARTH  (THE  PLANET WHERE  I  LIVE) A ¶#$%†^,,,,
,,,,,,«†$# LOT  OF US HAVE ANTENNAS  ON OUR  HOUSES #$†«,,,,,,
,^«†%$#¶## OR  BALCONIES,   WE  HAVE   BUILT  LARGE ##¶#$%†«^,
,^«†%$#¶## ANTENNAS FOR  LARGER  BANDWITH,  WE HAVE ##¶#$%†«^,
,^«†%$#¶##     BUILD SPECIALIZED ANTENNAES FOR      ##¶#$%†«^,
,^«†%$#¶¶#   SPECIFIC WAVELENGTHS (AND SENT THEM    #¶¶#$%†«^,
,,,,,,^†$# INTO ORBIT), WE'VE BUILT  LARGE  AS FUCK #$†^,,,,,,
,^«†%$#¶##              ANTENNA ARRAYS              ##¶#$%†«^,
,,,,,,«†$# WE'VE VIRTUALLY BUILT AN  ANTENNA WITH A #$†«,,,,,,
,,,,^††$$#         DISH AS LARGE AS EARTH.          #$$††^,,,,
,,^^«†%$##                                          ##$%†«^^,,
,^«†%$#¶¶¶ WE'VE LEARNED ABOUT  OUR POSITION IN THE ¶¶¶#$%†«^,
,^«†%$#¶##      SOLAR SYSTEM, OUR SOLAR SYSTEMS     ##¶#$%†«^,
,^«†%$$$¶¶ PLACEMENT   IN   THE   GALAXY,  AND  OUR ¶¶$$$%†«^,
,,,^«%%$¶# GALAXYS PLACEMENT  IN THE LOCAL CLUSTER, #¶$%%«^,,,
,^«†%$#¶## AND «OUR« LOCAL  CLUSTERS  PLACE  IN THE ##¶#$%†«^,
,,,,^^††$#          GRAND SCHEME OF THINGS          #$††^^,,,,
,^«†%$#¶##                                          ##¶#$%†«^,
,,,,^«%$$# AND  WE'RE  MOVING  AROUND  THE  SUN  AT #$$%«^,,,,
,^«†%$#¶## VELOCITY AND  THE SUNS MOVING AROUND THE ##¶#$%†«^,
,,,^«†%#¶¶ 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         ¶##%««,,,,
,,,,,«†%##                                          ##%†«,,,,,
,,,,««%$$¶                                          ¶$$%««,,,,
,,,,,^†$¶#                                          #¶$†^,,,,,
,^«†%$#¶¶¶                                          ¶¶¶#$%†«^,
,,,,«††$¶#                                          #¶$††«,,,,