ASCII art

ASCII art is an artistic medium that relies primarily on computers for presentation and consists of pictures pieced together from the 95 printable characters defined by ASCII. The term is also loosely used to refer to text based art in general. ASCII art can be created with any text editor, and is often used with free-form languages. Most examples of ASCII art require a fixed-width font (non-proportional fonts, like on a traditional typewriter) such as Courier for presentation.

    _    ____   ____ ___ ___              _ 
   /_\  / ___| / ___|_ _|_ _|   __ _ _ __| |_
  //_\\ \___ \| |    | | | |   / _` | '__| __|
 / ___ \ ___) | |___ | | | |  | (_| | |  | |_
/_/   \_\____/ \____|___|___|  \__,_|_|   \__|

One of the main reasons ASCII art was born was because early printers often lacked graphics ability and thus characters were used in place of graphic marks. Also, to mark divisions between different print jobs from different users, bulk printers often used ASCII art to print large banners to make the division between print jobs easier to spot so that the results could be more easily separated by a computer operator or clerk.


Examples of ASCII art


The simplest form of ASCII art are emoticons or smileys

:-) or :)   :-( or :(   ;-) or ;)   :-P or :p    >:(    :x
smile       frown       wink      tongue out   mad   sour
                     
B-) or 8-)  :-O or :O   :-0 or :0   :-S or :S    :D     :?
sunglasses   shouting   surprised    confused   laugh   eh?

ASCII Macarena


More complex examples of ASCII art

            (__)             
            (oo)             
     /-------\/     __          _            ,__o
    / |     ||     /o)\       >(o)__       _-\_<, 
   *  ||----||     \(o/        (_~_/      (*)/'(*)
      ~~    ~~                 ~~~~~~~
        Bull      Yin/Yang   Rubber Duck    Cyclist

      ,-._,-.      ___       (\ /)      
      \/)"(\/     {o,o}      (o.O)
       (_o_)      |)__)      |> <|
                  -"-"-      /_|_\*
    
        Dog        Owl       Cat

Here you can see some awesome ASCII art "pictures" (click on the picture to zoom)

Here you can find a program for generating ASCII art from pictures ASCII generator

Leykis101

"Tom Leykis: 101 - Rules for getting laid!" - soundboard

Banksy aggressive street art

Banksy (real name Robert Banks, according to The Guardian) is a prolific graffiti artist born in 1974 in Bristol, England, whose artwork has appeared throughout London and other locations around the world.
Banksy uses different techniques to communicate a message, which is often political and/or humorous. His original street art form, which combines graffiti with a distinctive stencilling technique, has achieved a certain underground notoriety and widespread coverage in the mainstream media.

Technique

Some stencils are created by using a computer to generate an image, and by utilizing a photo editing program to break down that image into layers, which are then subsequently printed and cut to be painted as the multiple layers of a stencil. Many stencil graffiti artists, including Banksy, hand draw and hand cut picture layers onto a medium such as cardboard or acetate, and, by using free-hand techniques such as shading, create highly detailed images that are quickly applied. This allows a stencil artist to incorporate far more detail into a small piece of work than a free-hand artist can, often in a piece ten times the size. (from Wikipedia)


Art attack on Israel's 425-mile-long West Bank barrier, separating Israel from the Palestinian territories, is considered illegal by the United Nations.

Banksy has covertly cemented a 20-foot (6-metre) satirical statue protesting at the British legal system into a central London square.

"Naked man" mural allowed to stay! (the mural is near Bristol City Council's offices)
A piece of graffiti by Bristol artist Banksy has been allowed to stay after what the city council described as "overwhelming support" from the public.

More Banksy

Abbott and Costello

ABBOTT: Super Duper Computer Store... Can I help you?
COSTELLO: Thanks. I'm setting up an office in my den, and
I'm thinking about buying a computer.

ABBOTT: Mac?
COSTELLO: No, the name's Lou.

ABBOTT: Your computer?
COSTELLO: I don't own a computer. I want to buy one.
ABBOTT: Mac?
COSTELLO: I told you, my name's Lou.



ABBOTT: What about Windows?
COSTELLO: Why? Will it get stuffy in here?
ABBOTT: Do you want a computer with Windows?
COSTELLO: I don't know. What will I see when I look in the windows?

ABBOTT: Wallpaper.
COSTELLO: Never mind the windows. I need a computer and
software.

ABBOTT: Software for Windows?
COSTELLO: No. On the computer! I need something I can use to
write proposals track expenses and run my business.
What have you got?

ABBOTT: Office.
COSTELLO: Yeah, for my office. Can you recommend anything?

ABBOTT: I just did
COSTELLO: You just did what?

ABBOTT: Recommend something.
COSTELLO: You recommended something?

ABBOTT: Yes.
COSTELLO: For my office?
ABBOTT: Yes
COSTELLO: OK, what did you recommend for my office?

ABBOTT: Office.
COSTELLO: Yes, for my office!
ABBOTT: I recommend Office with Windows.
COSTELLO: I already have an office and it has windows! OK, let's
just say, I'm sitting at my computer and I want to type a
proposal. What do I need?
ABBOTT: Word.
COSTELLO: What word?
ABBOTT: Word in Office.
COSTELLO: The only word in office is office.



ABBOTT: The Word in Office for Windows.
COSTELLO: Which word in office for windows?
ABBOTT: The Word you get when you click the blue W
COSTELLO: I'm going to click your blue w if you don't start with some
straight answers. OK, forget that. Can I watch movies on
the Internet?
ABBOTT: Yes, you want RealOne.
COSTELLO: Maybe a real one, maybe a cartoon. What I watch is
none of your business. Just tell me what I need!
ABBOTT: RealOne.
COSTELLO: If it's a long movie I also want to see reel 2,3&4. Can I watch them?

ABBOTT: Of course.
COSTELLO: Great, with what?
ABBOTT: RealOne.
COSTELLO: OK, I'm at my computer and I want to watch a movie.
What do I do?
ABBOTT: You click the blue 1
COSTELLO: I click the blue one what?

ABBOTT: The blue 1.
COSTELLO: Is that different from the blue w?
ABBOTT: The blue 1 is RealOne and the blue W is Word.
COSTELLO: What word?

ABBOTT: The Word in Office for Windows.
COSTELLO: But there's three words in office for windows!
ABBOTT: No, just one. but it's the most popular Word in the world
COSTELLO: It is?

ABBOTT: Yes, but to be fair, there aren't many other Words left. It
pretty much wiped out all the other Words out there.
COSTELLO: And that word is real one?

ABBOTT: RealOne has nothing to do with Word. RealOne isn't even
part of Office.
COSTELLO: Stop! Don't start that again. What about financial
bookkeeping you have anything I can track my money
with?
ABBOTT: Money.
COSTELLO: That's right. What do you have?



ABBOTT: Money.
COSTELLO: I need money to track my money?
ABBOTT: It comes bundled with your computer.
COSTELLO: What's bundled to my computer?

ABBOTT: Money
COSTELLO: Money comes with my computer?
ABBOTT: Yes. No extra charge.
COSTELLO: I get a bundle of money with my computer? How much?

ABBOTT: One copy
COSTELLO: Isn't it illegal to copy money?
ABBOTT: Microsoft gave us a license to copy Money.
COSTELLO: They can give you a license to copy money?

ABBOTT: Why not, they own it.



(LATER)

COSTELLO: How do I turn my computer off??
ABBOTT: Click on "START"......

Craziest conspiracy theories

Apollo 11 Moon landings - faked by NASA!

Proponents of the Apollo Moon landing hoax accusations allege that the Apollo Moon landings never took place, and were faked by NASA with possible CIA support. Fanatics of this theory claim that:
- the flag placed on the surface by the astronauts flapped despite there being no wind on the Moon
- the launch rocket produced no visible flame
- no blast crater appeared from the landing
- the Moon's surface during the daytime is so hot that camera film would have melted
- identical backgrounds in photos that are listed as taken miles apart
- there are no stars in any of the photos, and astronauts never report seeing any stars from the capsule windows
- the quality of the photographs is impossible high
- the photos were altered - the crosshairs on some photos appear to be behind objects, rather than in front of them where they should be
- the astronauts could not have survived the trip because of exposure to radiation


September 11th - U.S. government conspiracy

A number of conspiracy theories have been formulated to explain the events of September 11th:
- the Twin Towers fell straight down, at close to free-fall speed. This is a similar characteristic of a controlled demolition. The dust cloud and its make up are considered un-characteristic of a gravity driven collapse
- it is often pointed out that no steel building before or since the 9-11 attack has collapsed as the result of fire
- the rubble of the Twin Towers smoldered for weeks after the collapse. This claim is meant to point out that steel could only have smoldered as a result of pre-placed explosives
- some consider photographic evidence of the plane lying on the grounds of the Pentagon to be ambiguous and unconvincing, citing a visual lack of burnt metal, human remains, passenger's luggage or seats
- the Pentagon was struck in a newly renovated, reinforced section. Some speculate this location, the west side of the complex, to be indicative of government involvement, noting it as an attempt to reduce casualties
- flight 77 was able to fly in the direction of the DC and Pentagon area for approximately 40 minutes without interception. This is thought to be unusual given the Pentagon's close proximity to Andrews Air Force Base
- there are claims that anti-missile batteries at the Pentagon should have intercepted Flight 77
- the FBI confiscated a video, which may have captured the impact, from a nearby gas station attended by Jose Velasquez. This video has not yet been released


Aliens are dominating the World

Christine Fitzgerald, a confidante of Diana, Princess of Wales, claims that Diana told her that the Royal Family were aliens, and that they could shapeshift.
David Icke's --BBC reporter-- claims that humanity is actually under the control of aliens who must consume human blood to maintain their human appearance.
"Evidence" goes from Sumerian tablets describing the "Anunnaki" (which he translates as "those who from heaven to earth came"), to the serpent in the Biblical Garden of Eden, to child abuse, fluoridation, and the genealogical connections between the Bush family and the House of Windsor.
Icke theorizes that the aliens came here from the constellation Draco. Like most conspiracy theories, falsification of Icke's hypotheses is nearly impossible, but Icke continues to sell books and give speaking engagements based on concepts ranging from the New Age to his political opinions.


Barcodes are intended to control people

Some conspiracy theorists have proposed that barcodes are really intended to serve as means of control by a putative world government, or that they are Satanic in intent.
Mary Stewart Relfe claims in "The New Money System 666" that barcodes secretly encode the number 666 - the Biblical "Number of the Beast".
This theory has been adopted by other fringe figures such as the "oracle" Sollog, who refuses to label any of his books with barcodes on the grounds that "any type of computer numbering systems MANDATED by any government or business is part of the PROPHECY of the BEAST controlling you."


AREA 51: the truth is out there

AREA 51 is probably the most known secret location on the Earth.
The secretive nature of AREA 51 and undoubted connection to classified aircraft research, together with reports of unusual phenomena, have led AREA 51 to become a centerpiece of modern UFO and conspiracy theory folklore. Some of the unconventional activities claimed to be underway at AREA 51 include:
- the storage, examination, and reverse engineering of crashed alien spacecraft (including material supposedly recovered at Roswell), the study of their occupants (living and dead), and the manufacture of aircraft based on alien technology
- the development of exotic energy weapons (for SDI applications or otherwise) or means of weather control
- activities related to a supposed shadowy world government
- meetings or joint undertakings with extraterrestrials

Microsofts Wingdings font

The Wingdings font included with Windows has a history of controversy. In 1992, only days after the release of Windows 3.1, it was discovered that the character sequence "NYC" in Wingdings was rendered as skull and crossbones symbol, Star of David, and thumbs up gesture. This could be interpreted as a message of approval of killing Jews, especially those from New York City.
Microsoft strongly denied this was intentional, and insisted that the final arrangement of the glyphs in the font was largely random. Various other combinations of Wingings characters are alleged to have special significance by conspiracy theorists, but these results are likely purely coincidental.

U.S. military caused tsunami in Indian Ocean 2004

Popular Arab news services claim the U.S. and Indian militaries deliberately caused the Indian Ocean tsunamis with electromagnetic pulse technology.
Another type of theory bases its claims on oil and gas interests. Others also reason that the technology is at least feasible if not highly probable since research into such technology has been conducted by the military as far back as World War II.

The Nazis had a Moon Base

Esoteric Hitlerists and conspiracy theorists interested in Nazi mysticism and World War II have speculated that the Germans landed on the Moon as early as 1942.
According to other theories it is believed that the Nazis had made contact with 'half a dozen' alien races.

The front page of the November 2 1966 edition of The Washington Post read: “Six Mysterious Statuesque Shadows Photographed on the Moon by Orbiter”. The Lunar Orbiter 2 had photographed a lunar area of approximately 30 by 50 kilometres. The photo apparently showed six or seven towers, appearing in a specific geometric pattern, rising from the Mare Tranquilis. Their pointed shadow indicated that they were either conical or pyramid-shaped. One of the towers measured an impressive 213 metres. NASA countered that the photographs did not show anything of any interest... whatsoever.

"The Castle", one of the structures identified in lunar photographs, identified by Richard Hoagland