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##£&%*==~¨             #¨¨¨========¨¨¨#             ¨~==*%&£##
#£&%*==~¨¨                                          ¨¨~==*%&£#
£&%*==~¨¨¨ 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,          ¨¨~==*%&£#
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#£&%*==~¨¨ NO    ¨    ONE   ¨    HAS   ¨   ANSWERED ¨¨~==*%&£#
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#£&%*==~¨¨             #¨¨¨========¨¨¨#             ¨¨~==*%&£#
##£&%*==~¨                                          ¨~==*%&£##
#£&%*==~¨¨             SO WHY IS THAT?              ¨¨~==*%&£#
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#£&%*==~¨¨ 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?      ¨¨~==*%&£#
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#£&%*==~¨¨ I  THINK EVERYONE AGREES THAT WE HAVE NO ¨¨~==*%&£#
£&%*==~¨¨¨ IDEA WHAT  WE'RE DOING (AND IT  PROBABLY ¨¨¨~==*%&£
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#£&%*==~¨¨             #¨¨¨========¨¨¨#             ¨¨~==*%&£#
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#£&%*==~¨¨ I'M  GONNA GO  SMOKE MY  THIRD CIGARETTE ¨¨~==*%&£#
£&%*==~¨¨¨ THIS YEAR AND  TRY TO  SNATCH SOME BEERS ¨¨¨~==*%&£
#£&%*==~¨¨         FROM THE LOCAL BEER THING        ¨¨~==*%&£#
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