##@§$%/«:¨                                          ¨:«/%$§@##
@§$%%%/«:¨                                          ¨:«/%%%$§@
@§%%%«:¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨:«%%%§@
#@@§$%/«:¨                                          ¨:«/%$§@@#
@$$%«¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨«%$$@
#@@§$%/«:¨             #¨¨¨««««««««¨¨¨#             ¨:«/%$§@@#
#@@§$%/«:¨     ####¨«« FERMI'S PARADOX ««¨####      ¨:«/%$§@@#
§%//««¨¨¨¨             #¨¨¨««««««««¨¨¨#             ¨¨¨¨««//%§
§$$$%«::¨¨                                          ¨¨::«%$$$§
##@@§$/«:¨ ON  EARTH  (THE  PLANET WHERE I  LIVE) A ¨:«/$§@@##
@$$%%«««:¨ LOT  OF US  HAVE  ANTENNAS ON OUR HOUSES ¨:«««%%$$@
@§%««¨¨¨¨¨ 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?      ¨¨¨¨¨¨:/%§
##@@§$%/«:                                          :«/%$§@@##
#@@§$%/«:¨ I THINK EVERYONE  AGREES THAT WE HAVE NO ¨:«/%$§@@#
##@§$%/«:¨ IDEA WHAT WE'RE DOING  (AND  IT PROBABLY ¨:«/%$§@##
##@@§$%/«:                  SHOWS)                  :«/%$§@@##
@@$%/«¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨«/%$@@
##@@§$%«:¨             #¨¨¨««««««««¨¨¨#             ¨:«%$§@@##
§§$$%««¨¨¨     ####¨«« FERMI'S PARADOX ««¨####      ¨¨¨««%$$§§
§%/«:¨¨¨¨¨             #¨¨¨««««««««¨¨¨#             ¨¨¨¨¨:«/%§
#@@§$%/«:¨                                          ¨:«/%$§@@#
§$$$$%/«:¨ I'M GONNA  GO  SMOKE MY  THIRD CIGARETTE ¨:«/%$$$$§
@@@§$%/«:¨ THIS YEAR AND TRY TO  SNATCH SOME  BEERS ¨:«/%$§@@@
#@@§$%/«:¨         FROM THE LOCAL BEER THING        ¨:«/%$§@@#
##@§$%/«:¨                                          ¨:«/%$§@##
@§§$$%/«:¨                                          ¨:«/%$$§§@
#@@§$%/«:¨                                          ¨:«/%$§@@#
@@$///«:¨¨                                          ¨¨:«///$@@
@§%«:¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨:«%§@