##@§¤*=~.¨ ¨.~=*¤§@##
§¤¤*=~~.¨¨ ¨¨.~~=*¤¤§
#@@§¤*=~.¨ ¨.~=*¤§@@#
##@§¤*=~.¨ ¨.~=*¤§@##
##@§¤*=~.¨ ¨.~=*¤§@##
#§§¤*=~..¨ #¨¨¨~~~~~~~~¨¨¨# ¨..~=*¤§§#
###@§¤*~.¨ ####¨~~ 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 ¨.~=*¤§@##
@@§**~~.¨¨ ¨¨.~~**§@@
§¤=~.¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨.~=¤§
##@§¤*=~.¨ ¨.~=*¤§@##
§¤¤=.¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨.=¤¤§
###§¤*=~.¨ ¨.~=*¤§###