There are those who would deny the freedom of the people to express themselves through art. The adage that a picture speaks a thousand words strikes fear into the hearts of our corporate oppressors. The ban on linking to outside images has suppressed the creativity, the vibrancy and the community of h2g2, and the time has come to restore it to its former glory.

ASCII art will serve as a temporary solution to this drastic situation. The results can be very effective, from simple images like the skull and crossbones used above, to this picture of Che Guevara:

^//
GQ#####RRRKKS#QQ~
S####RR@RRRR###B#R#QK#e
6#RBR#RRR#RRBR##RRRRRR#RKQQ##7
#R#RRRB@BB@B@@/(@B@B@RR@BBRR#RR#KKKs
#RRRRBRB@@@@@@@R@B@@@@B@@@BBBBRRRRR#R#Q
BRB@B@@BB@@B@@@B@@@BB@@R@R@@@@B@@BRRRBRRQ#
QBB@@BBRRRRRBB@@@R@@RB@@@@@@@@@B@R@@@R@@@@BK
^QBR@BRBR@@@@@B@@@@B@B@@@@@B@@@B@@@@@@@@@@@RR
^RBBB@@@@@S(^ ^ ^ ^/6K@@@@BBB@@@RBBRBR@S
R@BB@B@s///^ ^ ^ /^//%RR@@@@BBR@@B@@@
SBB@@Qs~/^/^^ ^^/~((~%@@@@@B@@@@@@^
^#R#G6%~//^^^ ^^^///~(CS#@RB@@B@@RR
OKQOS3~~~//^/^^/ ^^/^////~7t%6G3(%COKRR@@@@@@@R
#####t%QSSKRRRRRK7//~7s#BBBRRRQQQQQOGRQQRR@@@@RR/
#R#RRB%3O%tGR@@BR#G/ /sRRRR@B@RK#BBQS#KKRRRBBBRK
(@@BBRRQt(C#RGB#~/C((/ ^~Osss KKOK@@RR#RR#KRB@BRR##Ot/
^tG@R@@RR##7(3seO(/////((~^/CGC7(~%COOQ##BRRR#@##RR#RQ%(^^
tRBBRQ#@R@BR#R(~/////////^//^^~%%C(////(6%CCCsG#R@K#RRB#eC6
^3/KSB@B@BRRQ(//^^ ^/^^^(7t/^^//~~t77%3S#BBRSKRBBRQ6(/
~s/(KB@@BRR#Qt/^^ ^^////t((%/^^//~(7%%GKRBRRKQR###R##OC~^
^O#RRBBRBR##3~// ^~OQ63%G#SC/^^^/t%36G##BBBRKQQ#R#RR@#6%(/
~QBRBBB@R##Ot(//^^ ^/~t//(%7%eO3^^/(3sOGQ#R@@@RR@###RB##S~
/#RBB@BBR##QC(~/^ ^ //(~~/(Gt(///(76OGS#RB@@@B#RRRRRRRR^(/
/ ^KRB@RRBRR#Ks(///^^^^//t3~//%OQGC%(~%6CGe#R@B@@@RR@BBB@RR( ^
(/^ QRRRB@@RR##SC(///^/%7t~////%6G##QSe7%GGG#RRB@@@@RBB@BBR#( ^
^%~tQRRBB@BRRRRRKC3(/^tCt%7SSQS#RRRR#QK#SG#K#RR@@@@@@B@#RR@@R/
^(/// #RRRRBRBR6C(//O%//////~/~tC3CCs###R#RRR@@@@@@R@@BB@B#
(t^ ^%#RRBBBRB#s%(~3~/~~7OQ#####QGSG##RRRRBBB@@@@@BB@@@B@O
^GKSte#RR@BB@BRBQ6C~///~(~(~/(t36OGGGQ##RRB@@@@@@@B@@@@@RK^
^ /BRRRBR@@BB@@@RQ7tC7//^ ^ ^//~~~7sG#RRRR@@@@@@@RBBB@@SS%^
(%OORR#BR@@@@@B#ResG3(^^^^^^//(~(CsR@@#BB@@@@@@R@@@@@#Q#C
%#RRRRR@@@@@BB@K#R##QG%6%%7766eS##BBBRBB@@@@@@B@@R@@RQ#(^
^ (QC@@R@@@@@BRG#RRRRR#KQK####RB@@@BB@@@@@@@@KR#@BBBR%/
S/G7RR@@R@B@BBsQ#B@RB@@BRRBB@@R@@B#Q#B@BBBR#BKSKK@Q/^
/CR@B@@B@@BCG#RB@BB@@@@@@@BRR#QKQBRB@@RO#@3~GR^
/t6RR@B@B@RB@RRB@@@@@@@@@@@@RB###R#RRB@@BKt
(OC3CC%%QRRRRR###RRRRB@@@@@B@@@@@RRKSeKR#BB@@@K
//(t7%%33C3CCC%%336QQGSSeGSQQS#K##R#QSeS##SGGSGeRRRBB@RR
/(t(//^~((tt%733%3%%CCOGGGOC7C6~/~3G3(CG(GR#GOQRRRR#RRR##
(~/(7%%7t3C%%CCC%%7%C%333COsC6%ss6%~tC(O%OQOGS#GKK#RR#RRR#^
3%t~(t73%6OOOs6sC%3%%%%%3%%COGGGsGOs%(~(G6OKGK#sSSQQOSOO%7(t
t%t(((ttt73COOsC%tt%77CCC3%36COGGSSeeGsCCC#RSQKS#GSQeGGG3%7%%/O^
66t77t(7%%773ss6%7(t7t7COC%%%C66OGeGGSGOseC%%KKSeeSGGeSs6(((%6~Gs(/
R%%tt7tt((tCCCCsCC%((tttsGC3%3COOGGGSGOGGsO#QKeGGGGeOsOss6%%77C(s3(~//^
#GC7t(tt((((t%3%CsCC777%%Os%7%%6CsGGOeGGOOCsS#SGG6CsssOs6s333%CG(6t(7%t~/^

The image above was created by using software called Email Effects, which has the capacity to convert most graphics formats to ASCII images. It has been described as "the Photoshop of ASCII art". I don't like being m****ated, so I won't include a link. A quick search on one of the common download sites should yield quick results.

For those who don't have the inclination to create their own images, there are many ASCII art libraries on the internet. Again, a quick search will reveal what you are looking for.

Including ASCII art images is not a difficult process, as long as you understand GuideML. The most important aspect is the <PRE></PRE> set of tags. These ensure that the text between them is displayed in a fixed-width font. Failure to do this will result in the image looking squashed up into a string of gibberish. For example, the skull and crossbones without the PRE tags:

.-. .-.
.--' / \ '--.
'--. \ _______ / .--'
\ \ .-" "-. / /
\ \ / \ / /
\ / \ /
\| .--. .--. |/
| )/ | | \( |
|/ \__/ \__/ \|
/ /^\ \
\__ '=' __/
|\ /|
|\'"VUUUV"'/|
\ `"""""""` /
`-._____.-'
/ / \ \
/ / \ \
/ / \ \
,-' ( ) `-,
`-'._) (_.'-`

Doesn't look too flash, does it?

If I include the PRE tags, the code will look something like this:

<PRE>
.-. .-.
.--' / \ '--.
'--. \ _______ / .--'
\ \ .-" "-. / /
\ \ / \ / /
\ / \ /
\| .--. .--. |/
| )/ | | \( |
|/ \__/ \__/ \|
/ /^\ \
\__ '=' __/
|\ /|
|\'"VUUUV"'/|
\ `"""""""` /
`-._____.-'
/ / \ \
/ / \ \
/ / \ \
,-' ( ) `-,
`-'._) (_.'-`
</PRE>

The result is an image that is visible to the reader.