....,**$## ##$**,....
.,-*=$#@@@ @@@#$=*-,.
.,-*=$#@## ##@#$=*-,.
....-*=#@# #@#=*-....
.,-*=$#### ####$=*-,.
.,-*=$#@## #...--------...# ##@#$=*-,.
.,-*=$#@@# ####.-- FERMI'S PARADOX --.#### #@@#$=*-,.
....,,-*$@ #...--------...# @$*-,,....
.,-*=$#@## ##@#$=*-,.
.,-*=$#@## ON EARTH (THE PLANET WHERE I LIVE) A ##@#$=*-,.
...,*==$$@ LOT OF US HAVE ANTENNAS ON OUR HOUSES @$$==*,...
.,-*=$#### OR BALCONIES, WE HAVE BUILT LARGE ####$=*-,.
.,-*=$#@## ANTENNAS FOR LARGER BANDWITH, WE HAVE ##@#$=*-,.
.,-*=====# 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!) #===*,....
.,-*=$#@## ##@#$=*-,.
.,-*=$$$@@ BUT REALLY ISN'T THAT KEEPING THE @@$$$=*-,.
.,-*=$#@## DEFINITION OF LIFE REALLY LAX? ##@#$=*-,.
....-==$#@ @#$==-....
.,-*=$#@## I THINK EVERYONE AGREES THAT WE HAVE NO ##@#$=*-,.
.,-*=$#@## IDEA WHAT WE'RE DOING (AND IT PROBABLY ##@#$=*-,.
....,*=$#@ SHOWS) @#$=*,....
....---*$# #$*---....
.,-*=$#@## #...--------...# ##@#$=*-,.
.,-*=$#@## ####.-- FERMI'S PARADOX --.#### ##@#$=*-,.
....-=$#@# #...--------...# #@#$=-....
.,-*=$#@## ##@#$=*-,.
.,-*=$#### I'M GONNA GO SMOKE MY THIRD CIGARETTE ####$=*-,.
.,-*=$#@## THIS YEAR AND TRY TO SNATCH SOME BEERS ##@#$=*-,.
.,-*=$#@## FROM THE LOCAL BEER THING ##@#$=*-,.
.,-*=$#@## ##@#$=*-,.
.,-*=$@### ###@$=*-,.
...,,*$##@ @##$*,,...
.....,*=## ##=*,.....
....,*$### ###$*,....