Darth Vader questions Princess Leah (click to enlarge)

When I took my first computer class on Fortran in the Fall of 1976, I made calendars for my family with Snoopy printed in ASCII art. Of course, I just got the Snoopy card deck from someone and copied it, but I made the calendar myself--after all every gift needs a personal touch. I still have the card deck to show curious students who have never seen punch cards. A bit of ancient history.

Of course, there are all kinds of ASCII art, a real need before the day when people had graphical interfaces and broadband connections. Even so, I'm always amazed at what people come up with. Now you can watch the original Star Wars in an ASCII animation. Just telnet to towel.blinkenlights.nl and the show will begin. It's not done yet. It quits just after Luke rescues Princess Leah. Watching it in ASCII art with the dialogue flashing buy in text is actually kind of entertaining.