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Watch Star Wars Episode IV in your command prompt!!

eeggs.com — Here's a little easter egg that lets you watch a text-animated version of Star Wars Episode IV. 1. Open Windows XP and go to Start, then run. 2. Type in or copy "telnet towel.blinkenlights.nl" without the commas. 3. Sit back and watch the ASCII movie :)

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  • kenvsryu, on 10/12/2007, -30/+17This is awesome!
    • neuroelectron2, on 10/12/2007, -1/+17this is probably served from a P2 which means it's been dugg
    • epu2, on 10/12/2007, -31/+10it just shuts down the window for me, what's wrong???
    • cheesy, on 10/12/2007, -2/+261This is really old. And it's not a easter egg, it connects to an external server.
    • nerditup, on 10/12/2007, -2/+122Where are the commas?
    • karmakanic, on 10/12/2007, -28/+12Dammit! Is there a Mac version?

      /sarcasm
    • sockpuppets, on 10/12/2007, -33/+10duggmirror.blinkenlights.nl
    • nickconsumtion, on 10/12/2007, -56/+32Easter egg!? Sheesh. If that's the case, here's another:

      1. In Windows XP, go to Start, then Run.
      2. Type in or copy "format c:" without the quotes.
      3. Reply "Y" when asked if you want to proceed.
      4. Sit back and watch the available space on your hard drive increase all the way up to its factory value!

      (For the retarded, like those who don't know what "telnet" is, the above instructions will delete everything on your hard drive, so don't do it.)
    • illyriah, on 10/12/2007, -3/+133They aren't commas; they're called quotation marks. :(

      Comma: ,
      Exclamation: !
      Quotation: "
      Single quote: '
      Colon: :
      Semicolon: ;

      Punctuation is your friend.
    • spudnic, on 10/12/2007, -15/+6They sometimes get called inverted commas, he probably shortened it without thinking
    • Tialys, on 10/12/2007, -13/+3Poor Sockpuppets.... I got the joke.

      This is ancient news to a lot of people... (this came up in like the early 90's to my knowledge.) Glad it made it to digg to get the word out. I fire it up from time to time on random public computers just to be nerdy.
    • thund3rstruck, on 10/12/2007, -1/+16damn, their telnet server is getting hammered! I imagine they're running it on a 486.
    • ashchristopher, on 10/12/2007, -5/+88Wow... my Linux has an easter egg too! =P

      (Please tell me that you can see the sarcasm oozing from my comment).
    • TNHitokiri, on 10/12/2007, -1/+14too bad duggmirror doesnt cover telnet..
    • Atomic1fire, on 10/12/2007, -3/+1it crashed
      anyone try telnet://locis.loc.gov
      its the loc infromation system thats being replaced this year
    • Tochi, on 10/12/2007, -0/+16In case you wanted to see it in your browser window:

      http://www.asciimation.co.nz/asciimation/index.html

    • jwhiteaker, on 10/12/2007, -15/+137Hey I have another great Easter Egg!
      1) Go to http://www.azureus.com, and install azureus
      2) Go to this link http://torrentspy.com/torrent/745864/Star_Wars_Episode_4_A_New_Hope_DVDRIP_XVID_AC3_DragonRipper624
      and download the file.
      3) Once Azureus says the file is complete, open the downloaded file.
      4) Sit back and watch Star Wars Episode 4! Isn't that an amazing Easter Egg? It works on any Windows computer, try it!
    • randall814, on 10/12/2007, -28/+7Actually, it works and Windows isn't required.

      If you're going to be a smartass, make sure you're good at it.
    • CrookedAsterisk, on 10/12/2007, -1/+9nickconsumtion,

      You might have a bit of trouble formatting C drive, assuming that's what you've booted off.
    • ggoyal, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1this one used to show live world cup soccer matches in ascii while it was on:

      http://ascii-wm.net/
  • nigmz3kdotcom, on 10/12/2007, -18/+1ahhah this is cool. I wonder if its the whole movie
  • LiquidPenguin, on 10/12/2007, -0/+260To begin with, this isn't an Easter Egg. Two, it's not specific to Windows XP or any other OS for that matter.

    Other than that, this is great! I've got to get IPv6 to see the HD version :D
    • BlindIrishman, on 10/12/2007, -12/+65But..I thought anything involving the command prompt was an easter egg...
    • neuroelectron2, on 10/12/2007, -3/+101how do you "open" windows XP?
    • AggieTales, on 10/12/2007, -21/+7"Other than that, this is great! I've got to get IPv6 to see the HD version :D"

      Although all our systems are already set up to use IPv6 (all new systems since XP, OS X 10.3 and nearly all Linux Distros), its just that our ISPs/Routers aren't. All because of the popularity of NAT catching on. But if you get an IPv6 tunnel going, then you'll have IPv6 fun
    • Misanthrope, on 10/12/2007, -4/+32"how do you "open" windows xp?"

      Maybe he meant open up a VMware session...

      maybe?
    • MadEnvoy, on 10/12/2007, -14/+6@neuroelectron2

      Use a can opener on your monitor?
    • idntunknwn, on 10/12/2007, -11/+6Maybe he meant to open your Windows install by disabling your firewall and antiviral protection.
    • neko, on 10/12/2007, -6/+17It says it's for winXP Home Edition. I guess it won't work on Professional.
  • ninesquaredis81, on 10/12/2007, -11/+5This is fantastic. I especially like the @ signs for Princess Leia's hair.
  • ninesquaredis81, on 10/12/2007, -0/+77By the way: good news - it's the original - Greedo doesn't shoot first.
  • hotbeefman, on 10/12/2007, -0/+11This has to go to HDDVD, I wonder if it is time-synched.
  • tabledesk, on 10/12/2007, -18/+20This works for Macs, too. Just open up Terminal and type telnet towel.blinkenlights.nl
    • repruhsent, on 10/12/2007, -37/+30Of course it works for Macs you retard. It's the server you're connecting to that's doing it, not the telnet program.
    • lowbot, on 10/12/2007, -0/+34It'll work with any computer that can run telnet. You're making a network connection out the the netherlands and loading a file that is ascii art/animation. Its not an "easter egg" at all.
    • Hemingrubbish, on 10/12/2007, -1/+3@repruhsent - yeah i think he knows that! not everyone does tho...
    • pygmalion, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Mac users should try this one in GLTerminal ( http://ldopa.net/2006/01/14/glterminal/ ), which emulates a very old ( and curved ! ) terminal in your choice of green, amber or white. Flickering, baudrate simulation and network lag included.
  • bobbybobington, on 10/12/2007, -2/+34I'm surprised inhumancheese didn't put AMAZING or AWESOME in the title.
  • guttertrash, on 10/12/2007, -2/+149lol. easter egg.
    theres an easter egg in xp, open your internet browser, and go to www.digg.com, you can read all the latest stories!!! :P
    • Reziarfg, on 10/12/2007, -2/+36"www.digg.com,"

      With or without the comma at the end? I can't get it to work for some reason.
  • MSTK, on 10/12/2007, -1/+36...what comma?
  • SirThom, on 11/05/2007, -5/+103"2. Type in or copy "telnet towel.blinkenlights.nl" without the commas."

    NEWS FLASH: Those aren't commas.
  • baldr, on 10/12/2007, -0/+11fun to watch a little, but gets kinda boring fast
  • darthfergie, on 10/12/2007, -5/+16really really old...As forever and a half...

    Other than that fact, very cool.
  • lazza, on 10/12/2007, -39/+7"NEWS FLASH: Those aren't commas."

    NEWS FLASH: The world will not explode from a grammatical error!
    • ginrummy, on 10/12/2007, -2/+53Or will it?
    • SirThom, on 10/12/2007, -2/+7I didn't say it would explode. I was merely pointing out that he confused quotation marks with commas.

      And, learn to reply. That "[reply]" link next to the post will make your comment appear under that comment. Useful stuff.
    • karmakanic, on 10/12/2007, -4/+7boom
    • combatchuck, on 10/12/2007, -17/+10Bush and co gets N and Q mixed up all the time.

      IRAN IRAN IRAN IRAN (turns) IRAQ!

      A typographical error could very well mean the world will explode. ;-)
    • Esteanil, on 10/12/2007, -0/+72About those nuclear missiles I told you to launch: Don't, wait 'till I get there.
      About those nuclear missiles I told you to launch: Don't wait 'till I get there.

      See? Grammatical errors *can* make the world explode ;-)
    • mazurskie, on 10/12/2007, -4/+7you need a semicolon, not a comma

    • Reziarfg, on 10/12/2007, -4/+29Grammar is the difference between
      I helped my uncle Jack, off a horse.
      and
      I helped my uncle jack off a horse.
    • AnteChronos, on 10/12/2007, -0/+19"I helped my uncle Jack, off a horse."

      Well, if we're all going to start being Grammar Nazis, I might as well point out that it *should* be:

      "I helped my uncle, Jack, off a horse."

      "Jack" needs to be delimited on either side by commas.
    • TrueVox, on 10/12/2007, -6/+27In soviet Russia, uncle's horse jacks off YOU!


      Bagh, I got nothing.
  • CaptPlanet, on 10/12/2007, -26/+4Yea, this has been around for years...also, the movie is incomplete.

    But still, hopefully this will spread the use of telnet, even if it is just for watching ASCII movies...
    • TenebrousX, on 10/12/2007, -0/+40"hopefully this will spread the use of telnet"
      why?
    • dblyth, on 10/12/2007, -0/+50Yes, spreading the use of an outdated and insecure protocol is _just_ what we need.
    • karmakanic, on 10/12/2007, -19/+5Well, if the world explodes due to incorrect grammar (see above), then we'll all be thrown back to the Dark Ages, and we'll all be forced to use telnet. And eat Twinkies and SPAM. And gays will go back into their closets. And black people will once again ride in the back of the bus and do whatever us white folks say. And women will stay by the fire, cooking, cleaning, sewing, making babies, and taking care of men-folk like God intended them.

      Yes, life will truly suck.

      Again.
    • ike368, on 10/12/2007, -0/+8@karmakanic:

      i really don't know where you're going with this....
    • dkarlson, on 10/12/2007, -1/+9SSH, bah. What we really need is more telnet.
    • Nitro187, on 10/12/2007, -2/+28"SSH, bah. What we really need is more telnet."

      You've got it wrong..... what we need, is MORE COWBELL!
    • TrueVox, on 10/12/2007, -3/+3"Upon blind faith they place reliance, what we need more of is science."

      M.C. Hawking
  • prockcore, on 10/12/2007, -2/+26I'm not normally one to harp about something being old or not.. but jesus, this was made in 1997.
  • maxkelley, on 10/12/2007, -2/+23This is not an easter egg.. Sten from blinkenlights runs this telnet animation on his server, towel. So, this is inaccurate.
  • turgiddahlia, on 10/12/2007, -2/+28Nothing is happening. OMG U BROKE TEH TELNETS!!!1
  • jacobo, on 10/12/2007, -2/+7The geekest thing i've ever seen.. great
  • LordofChaosIori, on 10/12/2007, -9/+3Why isn't it working for me? I copy/paste without the quotation marks then it says connecting but nothing happens :(
    • TenebrousX, on 10/12/2007, -0/+25hint: it's on the front page of digg
    • 0b501373, on 10/12/2007, -0/+6Dont forget the commas!! ;)

      ps. its just flooded..
    • LocDawg, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2Your internet pipes are probably clogged.
  • TinMan, on 10/12/2007, -5/+9NOT AN EGG.... It is telneting to a server and watching it.
  • krazyman, on 10/12/2007, -3/+3Yup, not working anymore. Never mind I just got it working.
  • heyitsme23, on 10/12/2007, -0/+8unable to connect to remote host

    apparently telnet got the digg effect
  • JKing206, on 10/12/2007, -0/+23JavaScript version:

    http://asciimation.co.nz/
  • iAlex, on 10/12/2007, -13/+2For Macs:
    http://www.macosxhints.com/article.php?story=20060406084728559
    Open Terminal and type...

    telnet towel.blinkenlights.nl

    ...to watch Star Wars Episode IV in it's entirety in ASCii characters!
    • Urusai, on 10/12/2007, -1/+21Do you have a version for Linux? >:D
    • aristotle0dude, on 10/12/2007, -5/+12"Do you have a version for Linux? >:D"

      Yes but it requires a recompile of the kernel and checking for dependencies.
    • TrueVox, on 10/12/2007, -1/+4DUDE! Aptitude!
    • RyeBrye, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1>> "Do you have a version for Linux? >:D"
      >>Yes but it requires a recompile of the kernel and checking for dependencies.

      It wont work with Fedora due to the use of 4k stacks.
    • Flamekebab, on 10/12/2007, -1/+2I found telnet wasn't installed on my Ubuntu machine, so an oh-so difficult "sudo apt-get install telnet" got me it, then I just proceeded as per the instructions.
    • AceTracer, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Ok, I know it's been rendered obsolete by ssh, but I still can't fathom how telnet isn't installed by default on a Linux distribution. Is it a security thing?
  • AceTracer, on 10/12/2007, -1/+6It's weird when people bring stuff up from not just a couple years ago, but waaaay back. Just reminds me of what I was doing on the internet back then. This for instance I remember seeing in 1997 or 1998.
  • dgh1973, on 10/12/2007, -0/+11Lol, I think digg just brought down a telnet server in the Netherlands...
    • dblyth, on 10/12/2007, -0/+32its a DDDoS. The extra D is for Digg.
  • afitzgibbon, on 10/12/2007, -0/+9funny to watch, but definitely not an easter egg.
  • spyres, on 10/12/2007, -5/+6Geez, this is the same old thing you can find here. http://asciimation.co.nz/

  • vj666, on 10/12/2007, -1/+3this is at least a few years old :o
  • aximbigfan, on 10/12/2007, -0/+13this must be a first for digg. killing a telnet server...
  • weedian, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2Its dead right now. Boourns way to break it!
  • kevin45, on 10/12/2007, -1/+3Jesus, I saw this at least 6 years ago
  • oldtactics, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1It's not dead for me - the cursor screen hangs for about 30 seconds but then it started up.
  • OmniMe, on 10/12/2007, -14/+4i don't have sound
    • aximbigfan, on 10/12/2007, -13/+7your an idoit. its telnet, it has no sound.
    • Qenton, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2What about the "bell" sound. That would be horribly annoying.
    • Fracture98, on 10/12/2007, -1/+14You should really try to spell idiot correctly. It's "you're" as well, by the way.
    • gal3on64, on 10/12/2007, -5/+1I think he was being sarcastic
  • stormist, on 10/12/2007, -1/+5The most annoying ad ever on that page. (the stupid talking smily faces)
  • joaob, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2wow...opening credits and all!
  • bexy4506, on 10/12/2007, -3/+1I love STAR WARS!!!
  • Qenton, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2Wasn't there a version of Star Wars that someone did a picture to Ascii on every frame? Running at 15fps I remembered it looked pretty good.
  • steban, on 10/12/2007, -1/+3Does some one remember a shell program that use to come with Mandrake that will make the shell run ascii videos? Is a bunch of 0 and 1 that start to pass faster and faster until eventually you can see a really cool video. I can't find it anywhere and was really cool.
    • doswarrior, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1The command is "bb". It should be standard with any distro that has aalib installed. Apt-get should find it if not.
    • BlackAdderIII, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Some popular programs do this using aalib - notably you can watch your DVDs or video files in ascii if you want to (unbelievably I've found this useful before where there isn't a GUI available) using xine. Mplayer can display in ascii too, works fine.
  • ohgr, on 10/12/2007, -2/+1XP Users try eConsole. It's a nice replacement
  • futurekill, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2Oh my god this is old...I remember seeing this when I was in my freshman year of college ...watched it from the terminal on a Spark X...
  • kerryhall, on 10/12/2007, -3/+1Un-*****-believable!!!
  • dotorg, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0When I saw this show up, I was trying to think how long ago I first saw this... I'd swear it was at least ten, maybe as much as fifteen years ago.

    Anyone have any idea when this first went online?
  • unrealmp3, on 10/12/2007, -2/+1Old and dupe.
  • iMatt711, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1this was in leo laportes 2003 tech almanac, and has been around for even longer.
  • jstohler, on 10/12/2007, -4/+1F'ing lame.
  • TheDrunkMonkey, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3There are two other telenet programs (and links, if you are really that lazy).

    http://towel.blinkenlights.nl/services.html
  • seanmac, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1Look sir, droids!
  • macdaddydwj, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2i remember this from the screensavers d
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