&££=«««,,, ,,,«««=££&
@£::,,,,,, ,,,,,,::£@
###&£=:«:, ,:«:=£&###
##@&£=:«:, ,:«:=£&@##
&£::«:::,, ,,:::«::£&
@&=«:::,,, #,,,««««««««,,,# ,,,:::«=&@
#@&=«:::,, ####,«« 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 ,:«:=£££@#
##@&£=:«:, ,:«:=£&@##
@£:«,,,,,, ,,,,,,«:£@
##@&£=:«:, ,:«:=£&@##
##@&£=:«:, ,:«:=£&@##
###&£=:«:, ,:«:=£&###