##@§£§^~:.                                          .:~^§£§@##
§£^^:.....                                          .....:^^£§
@£§~:.....                                          .....:~§£@
##@§£§^~:.                                          .:~^§£§@##
@@@§£§^~:.                                          .:~^§£§@@@
##@§£§^~:.             #...~~~~~~~~...#             .:~^§£§@##
###@§£^~:.      ####.~~ 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         .~^§£§@###
##@§£§^~:.                                          .:~^§£§@##
##@§£§^~:.                                          .:~^§£§@##
##@§£§^~:.                                          .:~^§£§@##
###@§£^~:.                                          .:~^£§@###
###@§£§^~:                                          :~^§£§@###