#@@¤¤$\~^¨ ¨^~\$¤¤@@#
@@@¤¤$\~^¨ ¨^~\$¤¤@@@
#@@¤¤$\~^¨ ¨^~\$¤¤@@#
@¤$$~~¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨~~$$¤@
@¤¤$\\\~^¨ ¨^~\\\$¤¤@
##@¤¤$\~^¨ #¨¨¨~~~~~~~~¨¨¨# ¨^~\$¤¤@##
@¤¤¤$$\~^¨ ####¨~~ FERMI'S PARADOX ~~¨#### ¨^~\$$¤¤¤@
@@¤¤\^^^¨¨ #¨¨¨~~~~~~~~¨¨¨# ¨¨^^^\¤¤@@
@@¤$$$\~^¨ ¨^~\$$$¤@@
@¤¤\\~^^^¨ ON EARTH (THE PLANET WHERE I LIVE) A ¨^^^~\\¤¤@
@@@¤¤$\~^¨ LOT OF US HAVE ANTENNAS ON OUR HOUSES ¨^~\$¤¤@@@
##@¤¤$\~^¨ OR BALCONIES, WE HAVE BUILT LARGE ¨^~\$¤¤@##
¤$~^^¨¨¨¨¨ ANTENNAS FOR LARGER BANDWITH, WE HAVE ¨¨¨¨¨^^~$¤
##@¤¤$\~^¨ BUILD SPECIALIZED ANTENNAES FOR ¨^~\$¤¤@##
@¤¤$\\~¨¨¨ SPECIFIC WAVELENGTHS (AND SENT THEM ¨¨¨~\\$¤¤@
¤$$\~^¨¨¨¨ 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 ¨^~\$¤¤@@#
¤$$~¨¨¨¨¨¨ THIS YEAR AND TRY TO SNATCH SOME BEERS ¨¨¨¨¨¨~$$¤
@¤¤$\\^¨¨¨ FROM THE LOCAL BEER THING ¨¨¨^\\$¤¤@
@¤¤$\~¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨~\$¤¤@
@@¤¤\^¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨^\¤¤@@
##@¤¤$\~^¨ ¨^~\$¤¤@##
@@@¤¤$\~^¨ ¨^~\$¤¤@@@
¤$$\~¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨~\$$¤