X-Google-Language: ENGLISH,ASCII-7-bit X-Google-Thread: f996b,b217f9de36ff9682,start X-Google-Attributes: gidf996b,public From: Veronica Karlsson Subject: Re: Time for a new FAQ? [ plus a tiny fraction of my ascii collection... ;) ] Date: 1997/11/02 Message-ID: <345C4E45.794BDF32@on.spammer> X-Deja-AN: 286557624 References: <345C0907.165F@spamfree.land> Organization: University of Lulea, Sweden Newsgroups: alt.ascii-art Matthew Thomas wrote: > > [] []i there, ASCII people. You should feel honoured and privileged to > || || be reading my first ever Usenet post ;-). > |+=+| > || || > [] [] Hi there yourself... that was one loooooong first ever post... (a record?) > I've been reading alt.ascii-art for about six months, and I can't > help noticing a lot of people asking the same questions (`why > can't I view the pictures properly', `could someone do my name in > ASCII' and so on). In many cases the reason is that much of the rapidly growing "population of netizens" just don't _know_ that such animals as "FAQs" _exist_! (as we saw all too clearly in the recent "CP2" discussion...) > I also notice that there are five different FAQ-type > messages posted by Colin Douthwaite (including those by Jorn Barger, Bob > Allison, and Daniel Au) which overlap each other, and none of which (in > my opinion) answer these questions very clearly. This also means that there is a _choice_, you don't have to feel that you have to follow one all-knowing leader... > In addition, some of > what they say is a bit out-of-date or idiosyncratic (how to use gopher > and lynx, and relying on scrolling newsreaders for animations, for > example), As we have also seen recently the scrolling animations aren't _that_ outdated and I know from my own experience that lynx is everything but outdated (with the proper connection to other software it is quite capable of showing pictures, sound, java, etc, often with much better quality than what Netscape or IE has to offer, at the same time as it can be used for situations when you simply can't afford anything more...) and it is definitely very well suited for ascii art. > and they're not *that* clearly marked as the messages newbies > should read. > If you can come up with a completely fool-proof way to ensure that all new computer users get to know basic netiquette before jumping into the newsgropus then you deserve a Nobel Prise! What can you do more than present the FAQ(s) regularly and answer newbie questions as they do pop up? (please make suggestions! improve the situation, please!) > So, over the past few weeks I've had a go at doing a new FAQ myself, "this is my first post ever" and "I wrote a new FAQ" in the same post!? Prepare to be torn to pieces! :D:D:D:D:D:D > keeping in mind all the people who are just starting out in Usenet *or* Including yourself!? > ASCII art, and trying to answer these questions in a shorter and > (hopefully) clearer fashion than the existing FAQs. So here it is, with > ---- marking the start and end. > > ---- > ._ > - - /, /, ,, , > )/ )/ ) || || > )__)__) _-_ || _-_ /'\\ \\/\\/\\ _-_ =||= /'\\ > ~)__)__) || \\ || || || || || || || || \\ || || || > ) ) ) ||/ || || || || || || || ||/ || || || > /-_/-_/ \\,/ \\ \\,/ \\,/ \\ \\ \\ \\,/ \\, \\,/ > > > > ,, , , > _ || || _ ' ' _ || > < \, || =||= < \, _-_, _-_ \\ \\ < \, ,._-_ =||= > /-|| || || /-|| ||_. || || || <>-<> /-|| || || > (( || || || (( || ~ || || || || (( || || || > \/\\ \\ \\, <> \/\\ ,-_- \\,/ \\ \\ \/\\ \\, \\, > > FAQs: About the alt.ascii-art newsgroup > By Matthew Thomas > Last changed 1997-11-02 > > NOTE: If you are new to Usenet News, please read the messages in > news:news.announce.newusers before posting to any newsgroups. Thanks. > Did you? Did anybody? Personally I had read elsewhere that you should read FAQ files and lurk for a while and see what things were like before butting in... But when it came to reading those things, I couldn't care less, I wanted to get out on the NET! (I suppose they may be good, but do real people read them?) > This FAQ is also available at ... > > Contents > ======== > > 1 What is the alt.ascii-art newsgroup for? > 2 What is ASCII art, and why is it used? Shouldn't 1 be 2 and 2 be 1 here? You start discussing what alt.ascii-art is before you explain what ascii art is... > 3 Help! I can't tell what the picture is supposed to be ... > 4 How do I start drawing ASCII art? > 5 Ok, I've drawn an ASCII picture. Can I post it to alt.ascii-art? > 8 Can someone do my name / these words in ASCII, please? This one should be marked with capital letters (I would even recommend the hated tag here....) (Why not _also_ have the question "what is Figlet?") > 7 Can someone convert this picture to ASCII, please? > 6 Can someone draw me a ... > 9 Can I copy this ASCII picture? > 10 What should I know about signature files? > 11 What happened to rec.arts.ascii? > 12 Where can I find more ASCII art? > 13 Is there legal copyright problems when duplicating ASCII art? 14 How do you make ascii animatons? 15 How do you make coloured ascii art? 16 Isn't a gif version better than just a "raw ascii" picture? 17 Does anybody have pictures of naked women/men in ascii? 18 Some other popular requests... > 1 What is the alt.ascii-art newsgroup for? > ============================================ > > alt.ascii-art (sometimes shortened to a.a-a) is a newsgroup where people > discuss ASCII art, post ASCII pictures, post improved versions of > pictures other people have drawn, and generally have fun. > > Types of messages which we generally enjoy seeing include: > * look, here's an ASCII picture I drew... (provided it wasn't a famous eagle by Row...) > * REQ: xyz (ie, has anyone got any ASCII pictures of xyz?) (with some exceptions...) > * suggestions on, or improvements of, other people's ASCII pictures hehe, no comment... > * hey-guys-love-your-work-type messages! :) * Stuff with a sense of humour that encourages new variations and jokes around a theme... (e.g. the recent "tie fighter"...) > > Types of messages which we generally don't enjoy seeing include: > * ASCII art - bah humbug, what a waste of time But the discussions that follow can be quite interesting... > * make money fast!!! ... (yawn, yawn, snore) As if _they_ would read an FAQ... > * this is an advertisement for something to do with art in general, so > I'll post it here THIS type of people usually _do_ need to read the FAQ! (but won't do that unless you send them a less than polite letter inviting them to do so... possibly accompanied by some _real_ ASCII art, such as: |*| /^^^\ |-| (| "o" |) _|-|_ (_---_) | | | | _| |_ || | /( . . )\ \\ / //| |\\ \_ _/ // | ' | )) \\_// ||___||// \_/ ||oYo||" () () || || ooO Ooo or: hhh... PAMELA!! P A M E L A !!!! Ahhhhhh...... _)))__ / ( o)___ _________ \ \______) o | _o_ | | \ ( o |(o o) | | | | o ||___| | | ___/ \____ . || * | | | ( ) . _____|______|_/________ | \ _ |C= A4000 ---. | | |\ \ (_) |_____________________| | |_\ \ | | _______________ | \\ \__| | /.--------. / / .|. | )\___| |) / `--------'/ / (_) | \ (| |) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~ | ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~|| (____________________________________) -Erlend Pettersen- or: \ _ / \ |#| / \ |#| / \ @#####@ ______ !!! __ __ (### ###)-. BBBBB LL AA MM MM !!! .(### ###) \ --- BB BB LL AAAA MMMM MMMM !!! / / (### ###) ) _____ BBBBB LL AA AA MM MMM MM !!! / (=- .@#####@|_--" BB BB LL AAAAAAAA MM M MM _ / /\ \_|l|_/ (\ BBBBB LLLLL AAA AA MM MM (!) / (=-\ |l| / \ / \ \.___|l|___/ \ /\ |_| / (=-\._________/\ \ / \.__________/ # -t8t- # # _8_ # \#######/ and explain to them quite carefully that unlike their post, _these_ pictures are quite on-topic to the group and won't offend anybody here... Once you get this message through to them this particular kind usually turns out to be quite nice, just not interested in ascii-art...) > * messages with the subject `ASCII art' (not exactly informative, is > it) so? Does it have it have to be? If what's _inside_ it makes sense... > * don't read this, this is a test (that's what alt.test, misc.test, > and many other `test' newsgroups are for) "CP2" > * MESSAGES IN ALL CAPITALS BECAUSE I SPILLED SUPERGLUE ON THE CAPS > LOCK KEY AND NOW IT'S STUCK DOWN, OR SOMETHING. * Messages containing unnecessary technical errors! (those should have been to above mentioned alt.test) * Messages asking the same question somebody asked yesterday! * Messages asking the same question somebody asked the day before yesterday! * Messages asking the same question somebody asked last week! (DO SOME DIGGING! USE DEJANEWS!) * Long discussions about pentagrams! * Meriday in the Morning (we have already seen her) > > 2 What is ASCII art, and why is it used? > ========================================== > > The ASCII (American Standard Code for Information Interchange) character > set is a set of 128 characters, numbered from 0 to 127, which are > standard on almost all types of computer. > > The first 32 of these characters, numbered 0 to 31, are various control > codes for signalling things like and end of transmission, a beep, > escape, backspace, and so on. The carriage return (which signifies a > new line) is ASCII 13, for example. > > ASCII art is art drawn with the next 94 characters in the ASCII set, > from 32 to 126. (The last ASCII character, 127, is another control code > representing the Delete key.) They are as follows. > > 032 [space] 048 0 064 @ 080 P 096 ` 112 p > 033 ! 049 1 065 A 081 Q 097 a 113 q > 034 " 050 2 066 B 082 R 098 b 114 r > 035 # 051 3 067 C 083 S 099 c 115 s > 036 $ 052 4 068 D 084 T 100 d 116 t > 037 % 053 5 069 E 085 U 101 e 117 u > 038 & 054 6 070 F 086 V 102 f 118 v > 039 ' 055 7 071 G 087 W 103 g 119 w > 040 ( 056 8 072 H 088 X 104 h 120 x > 041 ) 057 9 073 I 089 Y 105 i 121 y > 042 * 058 : 074 J 090 Z 106 j 122 z > 043 + 059 ; 075 K 091 [ 107 k 123 { > 044 , 060 < 076 L 092 \ 108 l 124 | > 045 - 061 = 077 M 093 ] 109 m 125 } > 046 . 062 > 078 N 094 ^ 110 n 126 ~ > 047 / 063 ? 079 O 095 _ 111 o > > These characters are almost completely standard, except for a few slight > variations on some systems. For example: > # (hash/pound): a hash sign on most computers, a pound sign on some > British ones ??? The one above (number 35) comes out like this: _|__|_ | | _|__|_ | | The pund sign is a completely different, non-standard, character. (am I missing something important here, or is Matthew missing something important here?) > | (bar): a solid line on most computers, but some split it in the middle Personally I recommend using this instead of "I" or "l" since they are less likely to look ok... | | | may turn into: | | ___ | but "I" may turn into: | _|_ A dotted line looks better than one with little "thorns" on it... > ^ (caret): differs in size depending on the font used > ~ (tilde): appears in the middle of the line in some fonts, at the top > in others this can be a problem! WARNING! > ' (apostrophe/single quote): tilts southwest-northeast in some fonts, is > vertical in others. > > Here's a small example of ASCII art using some of these variable > characters: a snow-scene paperweight, drawn by Joan Stark. How good it > looks will depend to some extent on which font you are using to read > messages with. > ____ > .-" +' "-. > /.'.'A_'*`.\ > |:.*'/\-\. ':| > |:.'.||"|.'*:| > \:~^~^~^~^:/ > /`-....-'\ > jgs / \ > `-.,____,.-' > > The American National Standards Institute (ANSI) took the ASCII > character set and added another 128 characters to it, for special > characters such as the copyright symbol and various accented letters. > However, using these characters is not considered to be `proper' ASCII > art, because they are not nearly as standardized -- some computers do > not support ANSI characters, and those that do often have different > ideas about which code stands for which character (the Macintosh ANSI > characters, for example, are different from the Windows ones). > WARNING! Posting pictures containing such characters to aaa is a sure way to get FLAMED! > Inserting control codes (ASCII characters 0 to 31) can sometimes > achieve interesting effects on your computer screen or news reader, > such as reversing text, changing its colour, and so on. DO NOT post any > of these pictures to alt.ascii-art, for two reasons: > 1 the effects that the control codes have on your news reader are > almost certainly going to be different from those on the thousands > of other news readers that other people use > 2 on some news readers, control codes can cause messed up displays, > messages not appearing, or (in some cases) the news reader > crashing. > The one exception, of course, is the carriage return (ASCII 13); ASCII > art would be pretty boring if it was only allowed to be one line high. > (As always, there are a few exceptions. :-) > [Ssssh! Don't tell them that that is a _character_!!! Same goes for "tab"!] > Some e-mail programs, particularly those built in to Web browsers, can > read and write messages in HTML (HyperText Markup Language, the language > which Web pages are written in). HTML allows colours and (using > JavaScript) animations in ASCII art. It IS ok to post these messages, > since they are just plain text; but remember, most e-mail programs do > not recognize HTML and will print all the HTML formatting as well as the > text, making your pictures more or less unrecognizable. > This is not good advice to put in a FAQ! It would be better to encourage text-only posts since the html posts don't just turn up as one messed-up-looking html code version in the text-only people's news programs but as TWO versions, one html and one plain-text, in which case the html one is totally superfluous. Also who has the time to sit and make "pretty" little html documents for NEWS, something that only lasts a few days (ok, much longer in some archives, but in practice they last a few days) when the message is of a text nature anyway?! It is much better to encourage those who want to show html work to put that on their homepage and post the URL to the group! (you can get a free homepage at Geocities, so not having a homepage is not a very good excuse). The same goes for posting images, put them on your homepage and post the URL! (I would even go so far as to recommend this for private email as well as news, it is just plain RUDE to send images, sound files and other big files to people in email!) > Some people look at ASCII art and shake their heads in disbelief, > thinking `haven't these people heard of REAL graphics?'. HEY! WAIT A MINUTE! Time for a new headline here? > > There are three main reasons why people use ASCII art: > * it is more portable than any proprietary graphics format -- ASCII > pictures can be shown on computers of all kinds, even those which > don't have a graphics mode, and the computer does not have to > recognize any particular graphics format One exception: I have heard that there are some silly people who think monospaced fonts look ugly and have thrown all of those out of their computers to gain memory, I have also heard that there are some _really_ stupid computer makers who think the same thing and don't put any monospaced fonts in them to begin with... (these are rumours, I don't know if they are true but they don't sound _too_ impossible... I _know_ that it can be true for individual programs...) :( > * an ASCII art picture is literally hundreds of times smaller than > its GIF or BMP counterpart, while still giving a reasonable level > of detail You will have to give some more thorough explanation about this! There are so many WYSIWYG people out there who want to measure the size of an image in inches rather than bytes. These people will think that this argument doesn't make sense! > * it's fun to do! > * it is a challenge! * it is easy to copy and change! (without losing quality because of _technical_ difficulties, only because of _artistic_ differences between the different artists involved!) * you can send it in email without being rude! * it is _easy_ to send in email! (much easier than writing an html doucment and sending...) > ASCII art finds its way into BBS and server login screens, e-mail > messages (for when you just HAVE to show what something looks like), > .plan files (for the finger command on UNIX), and all sorts of other > electronic places. > > 3 Help! I can't tell what the picture is supposed to be ... > ============================================================= > > If you can't make out what any of the pictures posted to this newsgroup > are supposed to be, don't panic. There are several reasons why they may > look weird, so try the following. > > * Make sure you are using a fixed-width font to view messages with -- > one where all characters are the same width (like on a typewriter). > If you're not sure if your font is fixed-width or not, check the > following two lines and see if they're the same length. > iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii| > mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm| (Longer lines look more _impressive_....) > If they aren't, find the option in your news reader which lets you > specify whether you use a proportional or fixed width font, and > choose fixed-width. (Some Internet Service Providers (ISPs) supply > newsreaders to their customers which, strange as it seems, don't > allow them to use a fixed-width font. If this applies to you, > there's not much you can do except to ask them for an upgrade, or > switch ISPs.) > How about mentioning the names of a bunch of common monospaced fonts here... > * If there are a lot of almost-blank lines in the picture, then the > message is probably suffering from `wrapping'. This wrapping may be > being done by your newsreader; see if it has an option called `wrap > long lines' or similar, and make sure it is turned off. It is > equally likely, however, that the wrapping was done by the news > program of the person who sent the picture, in which case there's > not much you can do -- everybody else will be seeing the same thing. > Wrapping is a problem when you SEND pictures! The "wrap long lines" thing in some versions of Netscape has to do with SENDING posts! If a picture is already wrapped by the sender it won't matter how much I try to click on that option, nothing is going to happen. Also some news programs wrap _incoming_ messages as well as outgoing messages. Learn how _your_ program works, but do that in alt.test, not aaa! If your program wraps wide images and you can't find a way to turn that off you can still present the image on your homepage (which you can get for free at Geocities if you don't already have one) as a text file and post the URL to aaa. > * If there are a lot of < and > symbols in the picture, with words > like HTML, FONT COLOR, B, I, and so on inside them, then the picture > has been done in HTML (see Question 2), and your newsreader does not > understand HTML (most don't). > Is this very common? (now you see why I recommend NOT writing mail and news messages in html) > * If you still can't work out what the picture is supposed to be, try > reducing the font size (if you can), and moving a couple of metres > away. If it still looks like something the cat dragged in, then ... > well, it probably is, so don't worry about it! > Meaning that there may actually be something wrong with the picture... Yes, the poster may be another newbie who just doesn't understand why things don't turn out the way he/she thought they would... (or who doesn't see that anything is wrong because he/she has used the same proportional font in both the editor and the news program...) * Some people just need some time to get used to the idea of how these pictures _work_! Watching pictures with explanations attached to them can help. > 4 How do I start drawing ASCII art? > ===================================== > > ASCII art can be drawn using any text editor, such as the Windows or > Macintosh Notepads, any of the various Emacs editors, BEd or AZ on the > Amiga, and so on. (Using a word processor to draw ASCII art is like > using a sledgehammer to crack a walnut -- it can be done, but it is > difficult to do properly.) > how about "edit" in DOS... Yes, you _can_ use a word processor to draw ascii art! No it is not "like using a sledgehammer to crack a walnut"! Word processors can have some sophisticated little functions that make them much more suitable to draw ascii images with (such as "replace", which most editors probably have too... I also heard somebody call emacs a "word processor", and this makes some sense since it has some fairly sophisticated text formatting functions and modes...). Just make sure not to get any of the word processor formatting code along with the picture when you copy it to a plain-text file. > It is much easier, however, if your text editor has an overtype (also > known as overstrike) feature, so that you do not have to constantly > realign characters using the Backspace, Space, and Delete keys. Usually accomplished by pushing the "insert" key! (yes, there is a key on most keyboards labeled "insert") > Another > feature which can make things easier is the ability to cut, copy and > paste rectangular sections of text (not just rows or parts of rows). On > editors which have this feature, it is usually done by holding down a > key such as Ctrl while selecting text. > If you _don't_ have this ability then you will find the whole ascii art business quite difficult since you won't be able to save any masterpieces you find on the net in an efficient way... LEARN HOW TO COPY-AND-PASTE! (hmmm... how about some instructions for that... for the most common types of computers...) > Before you start, a word about fonts. For ASCII art you should use a > fixed-width font (see Question 3), because every type of computer > system is guaranteed to have one, and that after all is one of the main > reasons ASCII art exists -- because everyone can view it. Try different > fonts until you find a fixed-width one (using the `i's and `m's in > Question 3 as a guide). Popular fixed fonts include Courier and Monaco, > and anything with `fixed', `terminal', or `tt' in its name will probably > be fixed-width too. Different fixed-width fonts do vary slightly in the > *height* of the characters, but for most drawings any difference this > makes is not enough to be noticable. > It can be quite noticable! An example: I have seen people proudly present "circles" and all I see is "eggs"... (it can also make people's comments about an ascii drawing of a person looking fat or thin make more sense if you know which way the font you use "stretches", if it is one that makes people look short and wide or one that makes people look tall and thin...) > DON'T try to post pictures drawn in a proportional-width (ie non-fixed- > width) font: even if you specify the exact font you used, the chances > of other people being able to read it are pretty slim (even `standard' > proportional fonts such as Times New Roman can vary in width from > computer to computer). > BIIIIIIIIG RED BLINKING TEXT HERE!!! > The other thing to be aware of with fonts is the difference between > serif and sans serif. Here's roughly how an `m' looks in both: > __ __ __ __ __ > |/ \ / \ |/ \ / \ > | | | | | | > | | | | | | > _|_ _|_ _|_ | | | > > Serif Sans serif > > The serif version has little strokes, or serifs, at the end of most of > the main strokes, while the sans serif version doesn't (sans means > `without'). For example, Courier is a serif font, and Monaco is sans > serif. This isn't often important, but if you're using a sans serif > font, just remember to use the vertical bar (|, above \ on most > keyboards) (The vertical bar sits on the same button as < and > on _my_ keyboard... NOT EVERYBODY ON THE NET IS AMERICAN! OR "ANGLIFIED" IN SOME OTHER WAY!) > to draw vertical lines, and not the capital i (I), otherwise > it will look weird for people using serif fonts. It also means that you > should think carefully before using characters like L and 7 for various > corners -- they won't always look that good with a serif font. > > Once you've chosen your font, prepare your canvas. Type a row of spaces > for however wide you want your picture. Copy this row and paste it for > however many rows high you think your art will get. Then turn overtype > on, stick your cursor somewhere in the middle, and you're ready to > draw ... > I don't agree! With this technique it is very easy to get extra unnecessary spaces at the end of the lines which may cause "mysterious" wrapping when the image is posted! (and it is so easy to forget to look for them and remove them when the picture is made... one is often too excited about this new picture and wants to post it as quickly as possible...) > If nothing springs to mind immediately, start with the ASCII art > equivalent of the stick figure: > > O > /H\ Person > / \ > > Fiddle with it, and see what you can do... > > A _ o _ > O Person wearing O` _O_ (< = Person about > /H\ a dunce's hat /H\ Professor XHX Angel /H-' to eat a > / \ / \ / \ / \ sandwich...? > > Gradually you'll be able to add things like scenery around the person: > > ___ ,---. > / __\/---. ._, > / \@-. -(_)- > @ ' ` Person playing a banjo > ,P while sitting against a > d'O_, MT palm tree... > ____@/|/________ > ::::@\O_,::::::: > :::::::::::::::: > > As you gain confidence, your pictures will start getting larger. Not necessarily true. Drawing small pictures is a challenge and can be quite difficult while drawing bigger pictures requires less exactness and can be easier to start with... > Draw > your cat, your toaster, your musical instruments, your partner, > anything that will sit still long enough -- practice makes, if not > perfect, then at least pretty good. Try making an ASCII version of an > existing picture by photocopying it on to overhead transparency (turn > the darkness down when copying), and taping the transparency to your > monitor while you draw. > (or just drawing it with a pen on a plastic bag... you don't have to have access to fantastic technology like photocopying to oh-philm...) > The things which give beginning ASCII artists the most trouble are > usually diagonal lines and circles. Here are some lines of various > angles: > > | / ,' ,-' _,-' > | / ,' ,-' _,-' > | / ,' ,-' _,-' > | / ,' ,-' _,-' > | / ,' ,-' ,-' _______________ > Here's a collection I made once (and if anybody can come up with _good_ lines for slopes > 1/1 please tell me!!!) 3/1 2/1 1/1 2/3 1/2 | | / / .' .' | | | / / .' | / / / .' .' 1/3 | | | / / .' .-' | | / / .' .' .-' | / | / / .' .-' 1/4 | | / / .' .' .-' _.-' | | | / / .' .-' _.-' 1/5 | / / / .' .' .-' _.-' _.--' | | | / / .' .-' _.-' _.--' 1/6 | | / / .' .' .-' _.-' _.--' __.--' 1/7 | | | / / .' .-' _.-' _.--' __.--' __..--' _.-' _.--' __.--' __..--' 1/8 _.--' __.--' __..--' __..--'' __.--' __..--' __..--'' __..--' __..--'' __..--'' -------------------------- 0 > And here are a few circles of various sizes: > _ > __ ,'" "`. > __ ,' `. / \ > __ .' `. / | | | > _ / \ | | | / \ / > . o (_) \__/ `.__.' `.__.' `.___.' > Study how other people have done circles and rounded shapes: ,o888b,`?8888888888P',d888o, ,8888 888 ?888888P 888 8888, 8888888P' 888888 `?8888888 888P' 888888 `?888 yin yang `88 O d888888b O 88' `?._ _.o8888888888o._ _.P' -=[ Ying- Yangs ]=- _.----._ sgj .' / _ '. / | (_) \ | \ | | '. | | _ `\ | \ (_) | / '._ / _.' jgs '----' _.ooo-._ sgj .OOOOP _ '. dOOOOO (_) \ OOOOOOb | OOOOOOOb. | OOOOOOOOOb | YOO(_)OOOO / 'OOOOOOY _.' jgs '""""'' _____ .-' | `-. .' | `. / | \ 10 ; | ; | | | ; /|\ ; \ /' | `\ / `./' | `\.' `-.__|__.-' _____ .-' | `-. .' | `. ; | ; 9 ; | ; ; /|\ ; ; /' | `\ ; `./' | `\.' `-.__|__.-' .-'""`-. .' | `. / | \ 8 ; | ; ; /|\ ; \ / | \ / `. / | \ .' `-..|..-' .-"|"-. .' | `. / | \ 7 ; /|\ ; \ / | \ / `./ | \.' `-----' .---. /' | `\ 6 ; | ; ; /|\ ; \ / | \ / `'---`' .-|-. / | \ 5 ; /|\ ; \/ | \/ `---' .-. 4 /` | `\ \ /|\ / `'-`' \ / \\_ /\ _// \ \_ / \ _/ / \ \_ / \ _/ / \ \_ / \ _/ / \ \_ / ____ \ _/ / \ \_..--''' ```--.._/ / \ _.-' `-._ / .' `. __.' `.__ _/ ; ; \_ _/ | | \_ <_ | | _> \_ ; ; _/ \__;. .;__/ `. .' / `-._ _.-' \ 8P / /`--..___ ___..--'\ \ / /~ \ ``'' / ~\ \ / /~ \ / ~\ \ / /~ \ / ~\ \ / /~ \ / ~\ \ //~ \/ ~\\ / \ __,aaPPPPPPPPaa,__ ,adP"""' `""Yb,_ ,ad"' `"Yb, ,dP' _,adPP"""""YYba,_ `"Y, aP' ,d""' `""Ya, "Y, ,d" ,P" _________ `"b, `Yb, ,d' d" ,adP""""""""Yba, "b, "Y, d' ,P' ,dP" `Yb, `Y, `Y, 8 ,P' ,d' ,dP""Yb, `Y, `Y, `b 8 d' d' ,d" "b, `Y, `8, Y, 8 8 8 d' _ `Y, `8 `8 `b 8 8 8 8 8 `b 8 8 8 8 Y, Y, `b, ,aP P 8 ,P 8 I, `Y, `8, """" d' ,P d" ,P `b, `8, "b, ,P" ,P' ,P' d' `b, `Ya, "Ya,,__,aP" ,P' ,P" ,P `Y, `Ya, `"""'' ,P' ,d" ,P' `Yb, `"Ya,_ _,d" ,P' ,P' `Yb, ""YbaaaaadP"' ,P' ,P' Normand `Yba, ,d' ,dP' Veilleux `"Yba,__ __,adP" dP" `"""""""""""""' * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * ,-'"""`-, ,-----. ,' \ _|_ / `. | 501 | /`.,'\ | /`.,'\ `-----' | ( /`. \|/ ,'\ ) | H |--|--;=@=:--|--| | H U ( \,' /|\ `./ ) H U | \,'`./ | \,'`./ U | (|) `. / """ \ ,' | (|) hh '-._|_,-` (|) d=3 .--. | | `--' d=3 .--. | | `.__.' d=4 .---. .' '. : : `.___.' _ .-. .--. (_) ( ) : : '-' '--' _.-"""""-._ _.-"""""-._ _.-"""""-._ ,' `. ,' `. ,' `. / \ / \ / \ | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | _.-"|"|"-._ _.-"|"|"-._ | \ ,' / \ `. ,' / \ `. / `. / ,' `. \ / ,' `. \ ,' `-..__|..-' `-..|_|..-' `-..|__..-' | | | | | | | | | | \ / \ / `. ,' `. ,' `-..___..-' `-..___..-' ,---. ,---. ,---. ,' `.' `.' `. | ,-|-. ,-|-. | `. ,' ,'. `.' ,'. `. ,' `-|-' `-|-' `-|-' `. ,', ,' `---' `---' > Fiddle with these until you come up with the shapes you want. > > A final point: don't use the Tab key to go along a certain number of > spaces on a line. The reason for this is that this `certain number' is > different for different newsreaders, editors, and so on, so your picture > will suffer from what is known as `tab damage' when other people try to > view it. Use spaces instead. > In other words DON'T USE TABS *AT* *ALL*! (this shouldn't be a "final point", somewhere after circles and lines.... this belongs right up at the top with the font discussion...) > 5 Ok, I've drawn an ASCII picture. Can I post it to alt.ascii-art? > ==================================================================== > > Yes! It doesn't matter if it's not particularly good -- we'd like to > see it anyway. yes! :) > We won't be rude about it (although you'd better tell > us what it is, or we might ask :-), but if it shows potential, you may > find that other people will `re-diddle' it -- change a few characters, > make it a bit better, and re-post it. > But be careful about showing a picture that you made by just entering a gif/jpeg/etc image into a converter and calling it "your art"! You may end up having that picture called things like "UGLY!" (yes! I have done this and I will do it again! A picture that has obviously not been touched by a human hand shoudln't be called ascii art any more than a photograph should be called a "drawing"!) > HOWEVER, there are a few things you should check before you post any > piece of ASCII art. * FIRST! Until you start feeling quite comfortable about the technological aspects of posting - TEST POST TO ALT.TEST!!!! > * Is it over 72 characters wide? Most news readers can only show > lines which are under either 72, 76, or 80 characters wide, so it's > best to make the width of your pictures less than 72 characters, > otherwise they may end up as a horrible mess. Make sure you know the difference between sending and receiving here! Also be aware that there are other ways to solve this problem, one of those is to place the material in a text file on a homepage and posting the URL... > * Have you used any control codes or ANSI characters? (See question > 2.) If you have - don't post! (at least not here) > * Am I using a light-on-dark display? If so, and you use any shading, > your pictures may end up looking like photographic negatives for > people who use dark-on-light displays. There is not much you can do about that, some pictures are made for dark on light, others are made for light on dark. For most "line art" it doesn't matter which you use. Don't worry too much about this when posting to aaa. Just be aware of it when you create your homepage so that you can make an appropriate choice of colours for your pages. > * What about my first line? Many news and e-mail programs ignore any > spaces you type at the start of the first line of your message, so > if you start your message with the picture, stick a separate line > with some dummy text such as . or -- above it to prevent the first > line of the picture from going out of kilter with the rest of it. > > 6 Can someone do my name / these words in ASCII, please? > ========================================================== > This question shouldn't come here, this near the end, it should go much higher up! > Probably not, unless we're REALLY bored. The reason for this is that > there is a program called Figlet which does that sort of thing > automatically -- you type in `Jane Smith', and you get back > ___ __, > ( / ( o _/_ / > / __, _ _ `. _ _ , / /_ > _/_(_/(_/ /_(/_ (___)/ / /_(_(__/ /_ > // > (/ Figlet is _the_only_good_ascii_art_program_! That is, Figlet is the only ascii art program that can produce result just as good as a human artist can! It is very easy to use and most of the time when you want to do text there is absolutely no reason not to use it! FIGLET IS GOOD! FIGLET IS FUN! TRY IT! > in this and a whole lot of other typefaces (lettering styles). The > heading for this FAQ was done with Figlet using the Gothic typeface, for > example. > > The Figlet home page is at > http://st-www.cs.uiuc.edu/users/chai/figlet.html. This site links to the > FTP site ftp://nicoh.com/pub/figlet/, where you can download versions of > the program for many different platforms. > > If you have a Web browser which has form support (most do), you can run > Figlet on the Internet by going to one of the following sites (to find > others, do a Web search for `figlet') and choosing your words and > options on the Web page. Different sites offer different options (eg > multiple fonts at once, justification, line length etc). Some of these > sites also provide an e-mail Figlet service for people with browsers > which don't support forms. > * http://www.surfplaza.com/figlet/ > * http://wwwcn.cern.ch/~rigaut/FigletJava.html > * http://www.schnoggo.com/figlet.html > * http://www.inf.utfsm.cl/cgi-bin/figlet/ > * http://saigon.mit.edu/dinhyen/figlet/figlet.html > * http://www.mediacube.de/cgi-bin/moniteurs/figlet/ > * http://www.sconnect.net/figlet/index.cgi > * http://boulder.Colorado.EDU/~kai/figlet.html > * http://www.ifi.unizh.ch/cgi-bin/bwagner/FIGLET/figlet.pl > * http://www.se.cuhk.edu.hk/~mcchau3/cgi-bin/express.html > * http://www.webserve.com/gateways/figletgateway.pl > (Thanks to Shimrod and Veronica Karlsson for the original list.) > > If Figlet doesn't produce the kind of results you want, THEN you can > post to alt.ascii-art with your request. Make sure that you include: > * the fact that you have already tried Figlet, or don't have access to > it (otherwise any replies you get will probably just tell you to use > it) quite right! I send out about 2-5 copies of my standard "USE FIGLET!" letter every day... > * a description of the kind of lettering you want, along with any other > symbols or logos which you would like incorporated into it. > Try to add good descriptions to _any_ requests! > 7 Can someone convert this picture to ASCII, please? > ====================================================== > > Probably not, for the same reason as question 6: there is a computer > program that does it. Well actually, several programs, with names like > ascgif, gifa, gifscii, and gif2ascii. Do a Web search for any of these > programs to find places where you can download them. > I disagree! You are confusing two questions here: 7a: Can somebody tell me where to find a gif-to-ascii converter? 7b: Can somebody draw an ascii version of this picture? (there is a difference!) I strongly suggest that you don't put your answer quite the way you did! It looks as if you _recommend_ using those programs... (I assume that you do not!) The first question should be answered by giving a couple of URLs and a comment saying that THE RESULT OF THOSE PROGRAMS USUALLY SUCKS! The second question is welcome to the group and often seen as a challenge, certainly not as an insult, since it clearly shows that the person in question has understood that in this case the computer just isn't up to it... > 8 Can someone draw me a ... > ============================= > Also note that this is not the same as question 7b above. Question 7b asks for an ascii version of a specific picture, question 8 just asks for an object, with more or less clear wishes of how it should look... > Yes, if we find it interesting. Give your request the subject `REQ: > xyz' if you're looking for a picture of an xyz, then in the message > describe more exactly what you're looking for. Very important point! A vague description typically generates vague responses... > Generally, the more > specific you are, the more likely you are to get someone to draw what > you want: if you just say something like `can someone draw me a fish' sure: <>< (typical answer to typical question, yes, we've heard it before) > then you're not likely to get many replies, Or you may get a whole bunch of them.... only not the way you intended it to be... > because people won't be > sure whether or not they're wasting their time by drawing something you > won't want. If you don't have Web access, mention this fact, otherwise > you may get replies consisting of URLs (Web addresses) which contain > the kind of pictures you're looking for. > > 9 Can I copy this ASCII picture? > ================================== > > Generally, yes. ASCII art is unlike most other forms of art, in that > most ASCII artists don't mind if you copy it. There are a few important > conditions, however. > * If the picture contains a few letters in one corner which don't > seem to be part of the picture, they're the artist's initials. DO > NOT remove these initials -- would you cut away the part of a Van > Gogh containing his name? Leaving the initials on is a small price > to pay for being able to use the picture for free. > * If you're going to use a picture in your signature file, or in a > place (such as a log-in screen) which means you're going to be using > it a lot, you should really e-mail the artist (or post to the > newsgroup, if you don't know their address) and ask for permission, > because otherwise people may get the mistaken impression that you > were the one who drew the picture. > *yawn!* (yes, I know, some people are very sensitive about this, humour them, leave their initials alone!) > 10 What should I know about signature files? > ============================================= > (considering that most people come _to_ aaa looking for sigs....) > A signature file (or sig for short) is a small text file which an e-mail > program adds to the end of every e-mail you send -- the equivalent of a > letterhead for dead-tree (paper) mail. Usually it contains little more > than the person's name, organization, and e-mail address, and an > inspirational quote of some sort: but some people like to incorporate > ASCII art into their signature files as well. > (how about a link to some page with lots of examples here...?) > The biggest problem that this causes is the number of lines that the > signature file takes up. This is a topic which, despite its lack of > importance in relation to global warming, violence in society, and so > on, can be the subject of heated arguments. To summarize, (almost) > no-one will complain if your signature file is four lines long or fewer > -- and it is quite possible to do a reasonably good ASCII picture which > is that small. It is quite possible, but also quite difficult, to do some bloody good ascii art that is that small! Here are a couple of examples (most of them NOT made by me): @ `\_ )( (_') a rose in a vase /\. / \`. / \ `. /_KCK__\/ []___ / /\____ (~) /_/\_//____/\ | | || |||__||| []___ / /\ /____/__\ |[][]|||| ,-. Life keeps rolling along...... ( O )` ~ - . _ . - ~ ` ~ - . _ . - ~ ` ~ - |`-'| : : : : : : : : | | : : : : : : : : `-'` ~ - . _'. - ~ ` ~ - .'_ . - ~ ` ~ - Clyde W. Watson, clydew@baynetworks.com _ _ ~0 (_| . - ' - . _ . - ' - . _ . - ' - . |_) O |(_~|^~~| |~~^|~_)| TT/_ T"T T"T _\HH jgs \ | / ( ):O= / | \ __ __ __ (..) (..) (..) HH HH HH Here's three little skulls... __!__ -----o----- " " ------+------ >>> Your message goes here >>>----------@xxxxxX|(_) -------' -----|----- *>=====[_]L) -'-`-\ |\ O __________|_\______ \_.______________________| * * * * * * * * */ __\____ |=================/ > _<_ -1 > (_|_( -2 > \-._|_,-, -3 > `-----' -4 -mark zen- o, o__ o_/| o_. (_) (_)/<_ \_| \ _|/' \/ (_)>(_) (_) (_) (_) (_)' _\o_ __o __o o __o ,__o o__, __ -_ _ \<_ -\<, _/\_> _`\<,_ _-\_<, ,>_/-_ ((( (_)T(_) (_)/(_) O / O O,> / O (*)/ (*) (*)/'(*) (*)`\(*) ___0 -----( Bad doggy! Go home! Shoo!) ,___o _-\_<, ___>_>_______(*)/'(*)______ ___ o ___ :===========` )( jgs "" Sven Guckes guckes@math.fu-berlin.de (`i | ~~~~~~ Typerwiter // /~~~(O) / | (_________| .d888b. 8888888 8888888> ____ `Y888P' `=-=-=-=-=-=-<|____| _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Armando Frazao ___| | | | |___ . , ___| | | | |___ --*--*-- |___| | | | |___X=-=-=X=-=-=X___| | | | |___| l33812@alfa.ist.utl.pt Seal `-'_|_|='/ ' ` \`=|_|_`-' http://alfa.ist.utl.pt/~l33812 ,____, '====' //' or //' dissel@nunic.nu.edu (David S. Issel) ~ ~ _________________________________________________||__________ \_`----------------------------------------, ]|//////////!| ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~||~~~~~~~~~~ a poodle * v \ _ ('_. ( )( ) (\ )) - a:f - Not a poodle _ ( ___('_. ( __ ) || || - a:f/VK - .--. /X | _o.----. _ /\_ \/ / __ \_// ) jgs \__)-/_/\_____)____/ very sick puppy another poodle =\__! ! ! ^..^ / /_/\_____/ /\ /\ / \ / \ __ / \|\/| |\| / ..__. |/|\-\____/ & Fox sniffing a bug. |\_/|,,_____,'~\ (. .)~~ )\ ) \o/\ /---~\\( ) _// _// \/ Alexander Fetke ,,==/,==/ _ __// /\| \| ,;`( )__, )__~ ) ~ // // '--; '--; ' \ |\ | _ ____ /( ) _ \ / // /\` \, ||--||--||- \| |/ \| ||--||--||- ~^~^~^~~^~~~^~~^^~^^^^^^^^^^^^ ,--, |__ _ ___/ /\| :__|_|__/ __ ;( )__, ) /-\|__/-\_/ ; // '--; \'/ \'/ \ | ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ ,--, ,--, _ ___/ /\| _ ___/ /\| ,;`( )__, ) ,;`( )__, ) // // '--; // // '--; ' \ | ' \ | ,~~_ |/\ =_ _ ~ _( )_( )\~~ \,\ _|\ \~~~ \` \ ` ` ((^--__ | /\ --___ __ ( / \ ) \\ / |~~~~/ \ \\ / \ / \ , /,`\ ` | \____\\ _( ) \ \-\~~~_|\ \ \ ` \ ` ` ` _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _-(_)- _-(_)- _-(_)- _-(")- _-(_)- _-(_)- _-(_)- _-(_)- `(___) `(___) `(___) `%%%%% `(___) `(___) `(___) `(___) jgs // \\ // \\ // \\ // \\ // \\ // \\ // \\ // \\ -=[ teddy bears - 4 lines ]=- 1/97 ()=() ()-() ()=() ()-() ('Y') (':') (^;^) ('&') q . p d . b C C c . c jgs ()_() ()_() ()_() ()=() . . . . . . . . {~._.~} . . ( Y ) . GREETINGS AND HUGS, . ()~*~() . JUST FOR YOU! . (_)-(_) . . . . tiny koalas: "@" gpyy (_3 "@" gpyy E_) \ | \/ *( ) x== KCK /\ /\ FOUR LINE BUNNY \ \_/ / (`Y') Found in the .sig of ... ()~*~() The Exogenous One (_)-(_) Credited to 'Schoen' (?) \ \ /\ ( ) .( o ). ,_, &, ( ) Incomplete, faceless squirrel & / ,, &(_),_) -Alison Rosenstengel- And here's a piggie (in the mud): ^..^__)~ ^-^-^-@@-^-^-^ player.one@cww.de (..)-----; ||---|| ...in der Gruppe mit dem Elch. ^^ ^^ Here is an elk I did last year: {__} \/_____! \----| ejm96 /| |\ Y- /- / ) \_/\L_, Shaun Kolomeitz > I need ascii pictures of Elephants, any size. __ .--()'.' '|, . ,' here's a little one... !_-(_\ ()-() \"/ ` _ _ (_}oo{_) >*<_)_______@ "~" " miK _ (c).-. jgs .-" , _( )____) _ .-.(c) jgs (_____( ) , "-. `~ ~""` _ __ (,).-" ". jgs /', _ ( )________, `^'"` """"'` ()() ____ (..) /|o | /\/\ /o| o| c\db/o... /o_|_o_| -Row z //////////////_ the Z O __\\\\@ //^^ _- \/////// sleeping Z z o _____((_ \-/ ____/ / < < \\ > ant o 0__________\\\---//____/----//__|-^\\\\\\\\ eater skunk _-, ((( -^/====\) `~~>>-->/> _ ='o) )(__ (___/ cr Here's a duck w/ ducklings on a canal: ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ <`)_, (~___} & & & & & & & & & & ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ David Riley >o) (_> (a little rubber-ducky-looking one) (keeping it's mouth shut) (o_ ingrid _o) \\\_\ dombrower /_/// ~~~<____)~~~~~~~~~~(____>~~~ >o) ( \ _ ('v') ( ) "Birdie" ~/'~'~~ v .-=-. .-=-, .-=-, (^) -@) (@< ( ) (@< ( ) ( ,' ) ( ,^ ) (`\~/') (\(~)/) (\(~)/) (\(~)/) (< ) ~-=-~ ~-=-~ ~-=-~ ~-=-~ ~-=-~ ~-=-~ ~-=-~ ^^ (o_ / | /\ | / | |__| //\-X X--/\\ V_/_ _\_V luke darthvader skypenguin penguin (o_ (o_ //\ (/)_ V_/_ Swans _o) /_/// (____> (o_ c_ \\\_\ \\) <____) >O__/ \__O< cluck, cluck. \/ \/ "" "" -Joe Rumsey- _ ___ __/o \ /__ \ \/\/\/ 'bald eagle' ()-() .-(___)-. _< >_ jgs \/ \/ @..@ (----) ( >__< ) ^^ ~~ ^^ __ _______ /*_>-< ___/ _____ \__/ / <____/ \____/ Valerie Haecky ___ ____________ <<<((__O\ (__<>___<>__ \ ____ Don't get rattled by \ \_(__<>___<>__)\O\_/O___>-< what I say. It's just -Steven Whatley- \O__<>___<>___<>)\___/ my opinion. _ /_\ Y 7 // \\ ( ) \\_// \\_// \_/ \_/ turtles .''''. _ /_____ \/'| || ||-` .-""""-, / \____/ \_.99 (_/__/____\_(____) jgs //_// \\_\ //_____ __ @ )====// .\___ \#\_\__(_/_\\_/ / / \\ Jiri Matejicek (\"/) (/|\) | ejm97 | () ejm97 =====: () () ejm97 -----% () There is also this very elegant two line ==|== | dragonfly by xemu || || \\()// //(__)\\ || || -=[ fly ]=- 2/97 ._q0p_. '=(_)=' / V \ jgs (_/^\_) (\o/) (/|\) .-~-. oo OO .-~-. ( . \_// ||_/ ,' ) _@" .-'-' \ | `-' '-. ~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Stefan Schubert _../|_ student of computer science ='__ _~-. email: schubert@cs.bonn.edu \' ~-`\._ www : http://titan.cs.bonn.edu/~schubert |/~` > > > . (!) > \_____)\_____ / > /--v____ __\`) O______ > )/ _// \_ ` > ' ' ` > > (I wonder if the shark is hungry...) > > (yum!) > . / > \_____)\_____ > /--v____ __`<______ > )/ _// \_ ` > ' ' ` > > (mmm!) > . / > \_____)\_____ > /--v____ __\`) > )/ /\_ > ' \ ` > ' > > (burp!) > . / > \_____)\_____ > /--v____ __`< > )/ > ' > > (Boy, do I have gas) . / \_____)\_____ /--v_O--___`< )/ ' Geni ^'-._.-'^'-._.-'^'-._.-'^'-._.-'^'-._.-'^'-._.-'^'-._.-'^'-._.-'^'-._.-' 0 . VROOOOOM!!! 00o \____|\___ 00000 ooooo Ooo oo /--._____.`> oooooooooooooOOO )/ ' Dave Bird *Geni* <77freestuff@weirdness.com> wrote: > > (Boy, do I have gas) > . / > \_____)\_____ > /--v_O--___`< > )/ > ' ...leaving out the obvious: o o (Boy, do I have gas) o . / \_____)\_____ /--v_O--___`< )/ ' (/) (\) '.,--./ ,'.__.'- crabe = crab! ' ' :, ..^... : ;' ((*'...... :' '......' -=[ 4 line bats ]=- 9/97 _ ,_, _ / `'=) (='` \ /.-.-.\ /.-.-.\ jgs ` " ` (_ ,_, _) / `'--) (--'` \ / _,-'\_/'-,_ \ jgs /.-' " '-.\ ^*^ ^*^ ^*^ ^*^ ^*^ bats Small dragons _a' /( ,> ~~_}\ \( ( \(,_(,)' _>, _>, >~, \'^; "`~~> , /(/( o_______ ** }=\,\(,!,, ,,<0,,,/- {___(_\\ '>>L >> ,) ,/ ``==> , /( o **}=\\,\(,, ,) ,/ ``==> /\_./o__ __o\._/\ (/^/(_^^' Art by '^^_)\^\) ._.(_.)_ Gunnar Z. _(._)._. )\)\ , , /(/( ,,!,)/,/={ ~ ** }=\,\(,!, //_)___) Art by {___(_\ >=='' \, (, Belinda Asbell ,) ,/ `--> ,> )\ `a_ _a' /( ( _ )/ /{_ ~~ ~~ _}\ \( - `(,)_,)/ Art by \(,_(,\\ ,<_ ,<_. Richard Kirk ._>, _>,``==> Two-Line Ascii-Art: ------------------- Oo o= . ,S (v) o..o |UU|UUU|UU|UUU| d_L >v) >(v< 4 = (\/)S ||||||||||||||| dog, duck, fish, flamingo, light bulb, mouse, keyboard Three-Line Ascii-Art: --------------------- ):X ]:o_ / >: o 8:X (((( (:XC |\__ |\___ (_| |O = (: op \\_/\ (_| ( )(:[ | v| (:> __)X (:o ___( ) |_o= \ | |\ 6 (((( \_| |/ |/ cat, cow, dog, horse, mouse, spider, walrus, penguin, ghost, ____ _ /(_M_)\ /~(_)~\ 66 \/ / ( _ _ ) ( :=: =====II =-_\/_/\_\ \( V )/ \_(~)_/ fish, bat signal, violin Four-Line Ascii-Art: -------------------- ooooO Ooooo _____ Y \~~~\ _____ _____ ( ) ( ) |== | (:' /|~~/| oo/><><>\ ^..^ \9 ) ( ) ( | o. | )) |~~~|?| ( -)><><><> (oo)_____/ (__) (__) |__O__| (( |___|/ L|_|L|_|` WW WW feet, 5.25" disk, snake, anything box, turtle, pig Randy Ransom - (v) ran(dy+som) __ o ___|[]| ___ o ^. .^ \__|______| |\/ o\ o ( @ ) /-(o_o_o_o) |/\___/ c @..@ |\__/| ,,///;, ,;/ (\--/) / \ o:::::::;;/// (.>__<.) /_.~ ~,_\ >::::::::;;\\\ ^^^ ^^^ \@/ fox ''\\\\\'" ';\ fish frog All by Donna Shepherd. __ ___ ___ _/' Name: Conrad "Lynx" Wong / \ _/ \----' \-' O`-g Address: 28368 Christopher's Lane | | / > __/_ / __/_`, _| Los Altos Hills, CA 94022 \__/ \____\`--\____\ ;/' E-mail: lynx@netcom.com Donna /\_/\ Frankfort, Indiana Frankfort, Indiana { . . } ICQ Member #878916 -------------------oQQ->{_^_}<-QQo---------------------- PURRRRRRRRR U /|/| /66 | =-"-=|___ |n_n|____= /\___/\ \ -.- / `-.^.-' /"\ Al Tinsley \|/> >: /|\> /\_/\ ( o.o ) > ^ < Unknown /\_/\ ( o o ) ==_Y_== `-' \o|o/ =_v_= m m _,,/| \o o' =_~_= \ /\ ) ( ') ( / ) jgs \(__)| kimya |\ /,^.,-"""-, .!,4 , ,_, ) `--^cc-cc(__.' .^-^; (';')___ ( _) _ , _ ) '--'--''--` Shanaka Dias )\._.,--....,'``. /, _.. \ _\ ;`._ ,. fL `._.-(,_..'--(,_..'`-.;.' )\ _. - ._.) /. `- ' ( `--' `- , ) - > ) \ fL (.' \) (.' -' |\ _,,,---,,_ /,`.-'`' -. ;-;;,_ |,4- ) )-,_..;\ ( `'-' '---''(_/--' `-'\_) fL |\_/| _____/ - - \ /~____ \ ="= / (______)____)_) ===%^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ /\ /\ llizard by884@freenet.toronto.on.ca (YES! Its _the_ original llizard!) (and a less original one:) Sven Guckes /| <- White ,^ / | Shark ~~~===%^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^'~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ " " guckes@math.fu-berlin.de ,^ -----%^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ *burp* / " " / ha ,^ ha -----%^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ ha ha / " " / ( ) ( ----%^^\_____________^^^\ O______/__\ / ^ / \____________/ /| o /_|=/ ejm 97 /__|<\ ====== !!! ^^^^%--- " \ yikes! !!! ha ^^^^%--- ha " \ ha ^^^^=--- " \ exhausted.... |\ | ^^^^%--- _ \ / | \ | " \ Y /-\ \/\/ | \| ! z |.^=--- z ! |<_ \z________..| ejm97 | ||:::::::::::| a pie: ~^^~~~~~^^^~~^^~~^ ejm96 \________________/ ._,_, ,/'`'=. ().-=-.() c _','| |=. .=| jgs \\_// ( _0_ ) `"` `"""""` (.|.) ).( ( v ) \|/ (.)(.) ) .( ( v ) \ |/ |5> O | /\ | % /| ejm/vk | o,/ / | |5> O | /\ | % /| ejm/vk |o......,/ / | ,_____,_____, 6 __ T\ :. .^\,_/_\_I_ I ^T=====;=====T /| -Dylan Parker- I I _|_| O /|\ (me kissing your feet!) __ | _/ (Q/| o o /A\ /T\ / \ / \ Ann & Tim ,_ o \ / //\, o o_ \ > __o o/\_ \>> | /~> <| ' ,_| _'\<,_ _ <\__,\ \\, o...(\ / > o) (_)/_(_) ___\o_ "\, | ~~~~~~ . o c , `'#v-- --v#`' /'> <`\ O \/ #|_ (_| _###\.___| | o \ o / _ o __| \ / |_ /|\ | /\ ___\o \o | o/ SPLAT!! / \ / \ | \ /) | ( \ /o\ / ) \o/__|/ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ___ / _ \ ___ __ _ /~~~~) | _ |(_- o> o .|. \|. \|/ // X \ | <| <|> /\ >\ /< >\ /< >\ /< >\ /< Mr. Asciihead learns the Macarena. ___ o) _, /| o\ ,_ (o /\/ | \ | \/\ ( \o_|/ ) ' ` Doing GYMNASTICS: o \ o / _ o __| \ / |__ o _ \ o / o /|\ | /\ ___\o \o | o/ o/__ /\ | /|\ / \ / \ | \ /) | ( \ /o\ / ) | (\ / | / \ / \ a cartwheel / _o o/ \o_ \ / __ __o |o \__/o | o____ _o o/ __|- |__ __/ \__/o | / | / o\ / \ | > | > / \ /o\ o| << | << < \ a flip o/ o/ o__ / __ __ \ | o/ o/ | __| \/ \ __o / \o |o /\ __| o\ / |__ | /| | | | \ \ | |o /o | | | |\ jumping head over heals \o __o o o \o |o |o >> /\/ o__ _o o/ | | /| |\ | / /|/ \|o o\ | \ \ | | | << << << | << < \ HANDSTAND \ / | /o\ EXTRA STUFF Riding a motorcycle (or a girl in a dress) O /Y\ o/_\o _W_ look mom no legs! O_/ _/| Darth Vader and Luke go at it! A / \ o / / \ /\ __/___\______\ \____ (*) __o (*)|-__o- --+ --| \ / |__ o - \o/ o _`\<,_ --/ \ @\| \o | o/ o/--- /\ | /|\ (*)/ (*) (*) (*)` ( \ /o\ / ) | (\ / | / \ / \ ( ! ) ` O ( ? ) /\__O ' > > \ | ___O___ \/|\/ // \\ | 8 // = /\ -, ---> 8//=/\-, ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ the heads arms bodies legs feet _ ., `\.____|_\ \______/ (_)(_) A guy laying on his back / \ / /\ \ ___nn_ ,,_|\_ ,--/-/ \ ___\ \_)=\,_o_\\\. SITTING on a fence o /|\ =|===|===|(=)|===|=== =|===|===|`='|===|=== _ _ Love me forever ( Y ) or not at all. `v' >----(^_^)----< VK > /\/\ > \ / > \/ 1 _ _ 2( " ) 3 `.' .-.-. `. .' ` _ _ ( Y ) \ / ` barbwire : / / / / / ======\\\\=========\\\\=========\\\\==========\\\\=========\\\\=== / / / / / \ / \ / \ / \ / \ / \ / \ / cut here ---------\\\-----\\\-----\\\-----\\\-----\\\-----\\\-----\\\--------- cut here / \ / \ / \ / \ / \ / \ / \ O <\==- - - - - - - --- ./ \ _/\_\O ||o|| | \|| |___| |-O-| Karl , ___)\ (_____) jgs (_______) > Some e-mail programs don't allow you to have one which is > longer than four lines, while others just complain: for example, > Netscape Mail warns you every time you write a message if your > signature file is longer than four lines (although if it's five lines > and the first starts with --, then that's ok). No, Netscape mail warns you the first time you try to use a sig longer than four lines! It does not warn a second time about the same sig. > Five or six lines is > *usually* acceptable, but any longer, and you're starting to take the > risk that your signature will be longer than some of your e-mail > messages; this wouldn't really be acceptable on paper, so it doesn't > really make sense in cyberspace either. The exception is in messages > posted to alt.ascii-art -- we're used to seeing long sigs, so we won't > complain. > hehe, don't say that, here's one of my sigs: ../MMMMMMM\ __ __ _ __ ./MMMMMMMMMMMMM\ \ \ / / | |/ / /MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM\ \ \ / / | ' / /MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM\ \ \/ / | < /MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM\ \ / eronica | . \ arlsson |MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM \/ |_|\_\ |MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM |MMM/.......\MMMMMMMMMM| \ ".........\MMMMMMM-"| e93-vkn@sm.luth.se ) ".. ___.. \MM/..|| http://www.ludd.luth.se/~vk/ . _./|||| \\.I.|:\ \||||HHH:::`.....(::..\ `||HH:::::............\ ||:.:::::: .......|...\ ||') .::::..............:\_____ \` ::)..... /|. |...... ` __ //::::::. /:||\:........-.......:::|\ \ \::: /::|::|:::/............ ...:|\ /-----:::|...:|\|............. ..:| /...:.-::- ......\:............ ...:\ / ................\:..................:| / _ .................\.................:|| _/ .....................:.............\:: :|\ / ...........................\........ ..::::::|\ / ....... ...................\...... ..::|:.::|\ / ...... ..................:... ...::....||| / .::.... ...... .............\.. ....::|...|::\ | :::... ........ . ......: .... :M@|.....:|\ | .::: ..... |:: ..... ..... .L\:::|||||||......:|\ | .:::......:|:::::.... .... /... .\::|||:/|`.....:| | .:::....:::||::::::::::'..... /..... ...:: :(||:' `...\ `| .::: ::: ||||:::V@K:|||||:/. .. ::: :|| \::::...| |\:::. |||||||||||||::/. : |.. . ...:|\ \:::`...\ |.\:::. .|\|||:::::....... ::. |.. ..::|| \ \:/.....\ :.:.::.. .| \|| :::::....\:.. .. : .\...::||:| | / .....| /.::..... .|` \|::::::....\:||.. ..|...|: .:| | .....:\ |||: .... ..| \ \:.::::... .||||||:\.. .:| | \... ..| |||: ... ..| \ \::::`... . :\. .:. | \.. .| |||::...... / \ \:::: .. : .:\ .::.\ \ . .:\ | ||:.......' `\ :::'...: ||. : .:| .::.|.\ \ | . .| | .::......| \ \.:...:. |.:||||| .::....|..\ ` |. ..| | . . . ..| | :.:.:... |.: .( ....:|.\ | |.....| | ::. \\..| | :' .:... |:.. .... ...|..| | :...|' | |:. .:.\| | :::.:... |::. ........:|..| | ....| `||..\ \|:| / \::: :\....||:...........|.| | :/ )| |||:.. .\:| / .|||:|\..................:| |:/ ./ | |:|::\ ..| / .|::|||:|\................:| |(::/..| | :::.\ ..| ' .|::`:....:\..............|:|(. .| \ \ | :::.. ..| | ||:........:\.............|(:.\:.:\ \ | \ .|:..| ..| | |...........::............(:::::` `\__| ` ::|:.|...| | \`..............:........ ::`\::::\::`) \ : |:| ..| | :..............:...:||`/' \::`\:::) \::..| ...| | :'... .........:|/' \:::) ||::.|....| | ::.... .......:|/' | \ \|: \. ..| | :..... ...... / | \ \|: \. . | .:..... .../ .| \ \|:'\ \ | :...... .:/ :| | `.::-.. \ | ........// .| | \ ::.. '\___.:.....:/ :| | \\..... ::..:`\. /' .| / > But no matter what the *length* of your signature, make sure it's fewer > than 72 characters *wide*, otherwise it may end up a horrible mess -- > see Question 5. > > 11 What happened to rec.arts.ascii? > ==================================== > > rec.arts.ascii was a moderated newsgroup, meaning that all messages > sent to the newsgroup had to pass through an intermediary who checked > them for appropriateness before sending them to the newsgroup proper. > > In the case of rec.arts.ascii, the moderator was Bob Allison (otherwise > known as `Scarecrow'), and he retired from the job in November 1993. > That's why there aren't any messages in the newsgroup any more. > _____ _____ < `/ | > ( | _ _ | | |_) | |_) | | | \ | | | | | ______.______%_| |__________ _____ _/ \| | | rec.arts.ascii < |_____.-._________ ____/|___________| | | | | | | | | | _ < |__/ | / `--. | %| |% |/.%%| -< @%%% `\%`@| v |@@%@%% - mfj .%%%@@@|% | % @@@%%@%%%% _.%%%%%%@@@@@@%%_/%\_%@@%%@@@@@@@%%%%%% > 12 Where can I find more ASCII art? > ==================================== > > Lots of ASCII artists put up libraries of their own and others' ASCII > art on their Web sites. Do a Web search for `ascii art', or see > http://www.yahoo.com/Arts/Visual_Arts/Computer_Generated/ASCII_Art/. > If you don't have Web access, well, just read this newsgroup! :-) > I would recommend these lists of links: http://www.geocities.com/SoHo/2695/links.htm http://www.geocities.com/SoHo/8608/ Then there are the questions I suggested at the beginning: 13 Is there legal copyright problems when duplicating ASCII art? 14 How do you make ascii animatons? 15 How do you make coloured ascii art? 16 Isn't a gif version better than just a "raw ascii" picture? 17 Does anybody have pictures of naked women/men in ascii? 18 Some other popular requests... But I am NOT digging into these right now! > THE END > ---- > > Now it's not perfect, in particular Question 7 could have a bit more > detail, and of course the `also available at' section needs filling in > (my Web account is only allowed one page, alas, so I can't volunteer to > host it). But I think it would result in fewer postings of those > questions which are currently answered (ever so patiently) by Veronika > et al. So perhaps the regulars (Joan, Veronika, Colin, Joris, llizard, > and co) could post their suggestions, and then Colin could perhaps > incorporate some of them and start posting this along with or instead of > the existing FAQs -- I'd suggest the subject > FAQs: About the alt.ascii-art newsgroup > so that newbies are in no doubt as to what the message is for. > but you have to make them understand that they should look at that post... HOW? -- _ ____ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _| |__/ __ \| |_ _ __| |__| | | |_ _| |_| |_ ___ ___ \ V / / / / _` | | || / _` / _` |_| | || | _| ' \ _(_-