@#¤***^«:, ,:«^***¤#@
#@#¤$*^«:, ,:«^*$¤#@#
¤$^:,,,,,, ,,,,,,:^$¤
@#$$*««,,, ,,,««*$$#@
#¤$^«,,,,, ,,,,,«^$¤#
¤$$$^:,,,, #,,,««««««««,,,# ,,,,:^$$$¤
###¤$*^«:, ####,«« FERMI'S PARADOX ««,#### ,:«^*$¤###
@@#¤$*^«:, #,,,««««««««,,,# ,:«^*$¤#@@
#@#¤$*^«:, ,:«^*$¤#@#
#$*^^^::,, ON EARTH (THE PLANET WHERE I LIVE) A ,,::^^^*$#
¤$$*^:,,,, LOT OF US HAVE ANTENNAS ON OUR HOUSES ,,,,:^*$$¤
@¤$$*«:::, OR BALCONIES, WE HAVE BUILT LARGE ,:::«*$$¤@
#@#¤$*^«:, ANTENNAS FOR LARGER BANDWITH, WE HAVE ,:«^*$¤#@#
#@#¤$*^«:, BUILD SPECIALIZED ANTENNAES FOR ,:«^*$¤#@#
#$^^^^«,,, SPECIFIC WAVELENGTHS (AND SENT THEM ,,,«^^^^$#
##@#$*^«:, INTO ORBIT), WE'VE BUILT LARGE AS FUCK ,:«^*$#@##
##@#¤*^«:, 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 ,,,::^^$$#
@#¤*^:::,, MEDIUM! GOODSPEED YOU, BLACK EMPEROR!), ,,:::^*¤#@
@¤¤**«:,,, DESPITE GHOSTS HELPING AND THE ,,,:«**¤¤@
#@#¤$*^«:, COLLECTIVE CONSCIOUSNESS LOWPASS ,:«^*$¤#@#
@@#¤$*^«:, FILTERING, DESPITE OUR VERY OBVIOUS ,:«^*$¤#@@
#@#¤$*^«:, BEAMING OF ALL OUR SECRETS IN EVERY ,:«^*$¤#@#
#@#¤$*^«:, DIRECTION KNOWN TO US, ,:«^*$¤#@#
¤¤¤¤$*^«:, ,:«^*$¤¤¤¤
¤$^::,,,,, NO , ONE , HAS , ANSWERED ,,,,,::^$¤
#@#¤$*^«:, ,:«^*$¤#@#
@@#¤$*^«:, #,,,««««««««,,,# ,:«^*$¤#@@
##@#¤$^«:, ####,«« FERMI'S PARADOX ««,#### ,:«^$¤#@##
#$***«:,,, #,,,««««««««,,,# ,,,:«***$#
#@#¤$*^«:, ,:«^*$¤#@#
#@#¤$*^«:, SO WHY IS THAT? ,:«^*$¤#@#
###¤$*^«:, ,:«^*$¤###
¤*^^«:::,, MOST OPPONENTS TO INTELLIGENT LIFE IN ,,:::«^^*¤
#@#¤$*^«:, THE UNIVERSE SAY IT'S BECAUSE YOU NEED ,:«^*$¤#@#
##@#¤$*^:, A CLASS ONE-OR-THE-OTHER STAR AND THE ,:^*$¤#@##
#@#¤$*^«:, PLANET NEEDS TO BE AT A SEE-AND-SO ,:«^*$¤#@#
##@¤$*^«:, DISTANCE AWAY FROM THE STAR (LIKE THERE ,:«^*$¤@##
##$^«:,,,, HAS TO BE A PLANET!) ,,,,:«^$##
#$****^«:, ,:«^****$#
#@#¤$*^«:, BUT REALLY ISN'T THAT KEEPING THE ,:«^*$¤#@#
##@#¤$^«:, DEFINITION OF LIFE REALLY LAX? ,:«^$¤#@##
##$$^:,,,, ,,,,:^$$##
#@#¤$*^«:, I THINK EVERYONE AGREES THAT WE HAVE NO ,:«^*$¤#@#
@#¤**^^«:, IDEA WHAT WE'RE DOING (AND IT PROBABLY ,:«^^**¤#@
¤$***^^«:, SHOWS) ,:«^^***$¤
#@#¤$*^«:, ,:«^*$¤#@#
#@#¤$*^«:, #,,,««««««««,,,# ,:«^*$¤#@#
##@¤$*^«:, ####,«« FERMI'S PARADOX ««,#### ,:«^*$¤@##
@@#¤$*^«:, #,,,««««««««,,,# ,:«^*$¤#@@
#@#¤$*^«:, ,:«^*$¤#@#
##@#¤$*^«, I'M GONNA GO SMOKE MY THIRD CIGARETTE ,«^*$¤#@##
@##¤$*^«:, THIS YEAR AND TRY TO SNATCH SOME BEERS ,:«^*$¤##@
#@#¤$*^«:, FROM THE LOCAL BEER THING ,:«^*$¤#@#
#@#¤$*^«:, ,:«^*$¤#@#
@#¤¤$*^«:, ,:«^*$¤¤#@
@#$$*^:,,, ,,,:^*$$#@
@¤¤*^::::, ,::::^*¤¤@
@¤*«««««:, ,:«««««*¤@