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Brandon Rozek

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PhD Student @ RPI studying Automated Reasoning in AI and Linux Enthusiast.

Fun with Telnet

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Some time ago I came across a cinematic experience

.........                @@@@@    @@@@@      ...........           
.........               @     @  @     @     ...........           
 .........                 @@@   @     @      ..........           
  ........               @@      @     @       .........           
   ........             @@@@@@@   @@@@@  th     .......            
     ......           -----------------------    ......            
       .....            C  E  N  T  U  R  Y        ....            
         ....         -----------------------       ...            
           ...        @@@@@ @@@@@ @   @ @@@@@        ..            
            ==          @   @      @ @    @          ==            
          __||__        @   @@@@    @     @        __||__          
         |      |       @   @      @ @    @       |      |         
_________|______|_____  @   @@@@@ @   @   @  _____|______|_________

It was a Star Wars inspired animation, brought to you by Telnet!

telnet towel.blinkenlights.nl 23

It’s worth watching the entire thing.

Fast forward a few years, and I’ve come across other great telnet nuggets

Address Description
freechess.org 5000 Chess [1]
towel.blinkenlights.nl 23 Star Wars asciimation
mtrek.com 1701 Space combat game (inspired by StarTrek) [1]
fibs.com 4321 Backgammon [1] [2]
mapscii.me World map (Can zoom in with mouse) [1]
telehack.com Arpanet/Usenet Simulation. Includes over 60 text-based games [1]

Remember that telnet communication is all over plaintext, so don’t accidentally leak any secrets. Have fun discovering the quirky old world of Telnet!

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