,,,,:;†§§¶                                          ¶§§†;:,,,,
,:«;†§§§§@                                          @§§§§†;«:,
,:«;†§§¶##                                          ##¶§§†;«:,
,:«;†§§¶@#                                          #@¶§§†;«:,
,:«;†§§¶@#                                          #@¶§§†;«:,
,:«;†§§¶@#             #,,,««««««««,,,#             #@¶§§†;«:,
,:«;†§§¶@@     ####,«« 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        @¶¶§§†;«:,
,,,,,,«†§¶                                          ¶§†«,,,,,,
,:«;†§§¶@#                                          #@¶§§†;«:,
,,,,,,:;§¶                                          ¶§;:,,,,,,
,:«;†§§@##                                          ##@§§†;«:,
,,,,:«†§§§                                          §§§†«:,,,,