ASCII (American Standard Code for Information Interchange= codice standard americano per l'interscambio di informazioni.)
E' uno standard per conservare le informazioni - di solito parole e numeri - in maniera che sia leggibile per la maggior parte dei programmi. Il programma Blocco note di Windows, per esempio, salva i files di testo in formato ASCII.
Sul web sono centinaia gli appassionati di ASCII ART, ovvero "l'arte" di disegnare con i caratteri.
Di seguito sono riportati alcuni dei risultati più significativi per rendere meglio l'idea. 

                  ___.-~"~-._   __....__
                .'    `    \ ~"~        ``-.
               /` _      )  `\              `\
              /`  a)    /     |               `\
             :`        /      |                 \
        <`-._|`  .-.  (      /   .            `;\\
         `-. `--'_.'-.;\___/'   .      .       | \\
      _     /:--`     |        /     /        .'  \\
     ("\   /`/        |       '     '         /    :`;
     `\'\_/`/         .\     /`~`=-.:        /     ``
       `._.'          /`\    |      `\      /(
                     /  /\   |        `Y   /  \
                    J  /  Y  |         |  /`\  \
                   /  |   |  |         |  |  |  |
                  "---"  /___|        /___|  /__|
                         '"""         '"""  '""" 

       ( \__//) 
       .'     )
    __/b d  .  )
   (_Y_`,     .)
    `--'-,-'  )
         (.  )
         (   )
        (   )
       ( . )         .---.
      (    )        (     )
      (   . )      (  .    )
      (      )    (      .  ),
      ( .     `"'`  .       `)\
       (      .              .)\
       ((  .      .   (   .   )\\
       ((       .    (        ) \\
        ((     )     _( .   . )  \\
        ( ( .   )"'"`(.(     )   ( ;
        ( (    )      ( ( . )     \'
         |~(  )        |~(  )
         | ||~|        | ||~|
         | || |        | || |    
        _| || |       _| || |
       /___(| |      /___(| |
          /___(         /___(

                               _(\_/) 
                             ,((((^`\
                            ((((  (6 \ 
                          ,((((( ,    \
      ,,,_              ,(((((  /"._  ,`,
     ((((\\ ,...       ,((((   /    `-.-'
     )))  ;'    `"'"'""((((   (      
    (((  /            (((      \
     )) |                      |
    ((  |        .       '     |
    ))  \     _ '      `t   ,.')
    (   |   y;- -,-""'"-.\   \/  
    )   / ./  ) /         `\  \
       |./   ( (           / /'
       ||     \\          //'|
       ||      \\       _//'||
       ||       ))     |_/  ||
       \_\     |_/          ||
       `'"                  \_\
                            `'" 

             ,%%%%%%%%,
           ,%%/\%%%%/\%%
          ,%%%\c "" J/%%%
 %.       %%%%/ o  o \%%%
 `%%.     %%%%    _  |%%%
  `%%     `%%%%(__Y__)%%'
  //       ;%%%%`\-/%%%'
 ((       /  `%%%%%%%'
  \\    .'          |
   \\  /       \  | |
    \\/         ) | |
     \         /_ | |__
     (___________)))))))

            .--,_
           / ,/ /
          / // /
         / // /
       .'  ' (
      /       \.-"""-._
     / a   ' .    '    `-.
    (       .  '      "   `.
     `-.-'       "       '  ;
         `.'  "  .  .-'    " ;
          : .     .'          ;
          `.   ' :     '   '  ;
            )  _.". "     .  ";
          .'_.'   .'   '  __.,`.
         '"      ""''---'`    "'

         __             _,-"~^"-.
       _// )      _,-"~`         `.
     ." ( /`"-,-"`                 ;
    / 6                             ;
   /           ,             ,-"     ;
  (,__.--.      \           /        ;
   //'   /`-.\   |          |        `._________
     _.-'_/`  )  )--...,,,___\     \-----------,)
   ((("~` _.-'.-'           __`-.   )         //
         ((("`             (((---~"`         //
                                            ((________________
                                            `----""""~~~~^^^```

               .==,_
             .===,_`\
           .====,_ ` \      .====,__  
             .==-,`~. \           `:`.__,
               `~~=-.  \           /^^^
                  `~~=. \         /
                     `~. \       /
                       ~. \____./
                         `.=====)
                      ___.--~~~--.__
            ___\.--~~~              ~~~---.._|/ 
            ~~~"                             /
                                            '

                        ,     
                   ,   /^\     ___
                  /^\_/   `...'  /`
               ,__\    ,'     ~ (
            ,___\ ,,    .,       \
             \___ \\\ .'.'   .-.  )
               .'.-\\\`.`.  '.-. (
              / (==== ."".  ( o ) \
            ,/u  `~~~'|  /   `-'   )
           "")^u ^u^|~| `""".  ~_ /
             /^u ^u ^\~\     ".  \\
     _      /u^  u ^u  ~\      ". \\
    ( \     )^ ^U ^U ^U\~\      ". \\
   (_ (\   /^U ^ ^U ^U  ~|       ". `\
  (_  _ \  )U ^ U^ ^U ^|~|        ". `\.
 (_  = _(\ \^ U ^U ^ U^ ~|          ".`.;
(_ -(    _\_)U ^ ^ U^ ^|~|            ""
(_    =   ( ^ U^ U^ ^ U ~|
(_ -  ( ~  = ^ U ^U U ^|~/
 (_  =     (_^U^ ^ U^ U /
  (_-   ~_(/ \^ U^ ^U^,"
   (_ =  _/   |^ u^u."  
    (_  (/    |u^ u.(   
     (__/     )^u^ u/ 
             /u^ u^(  
            |^ u^ u/   
            |u^ u^(       ____   
            |^u^ u(    .-'    `-,
             \^u ^ \  / ' .---.  \
              \^ u^u\ |  '  `  ;  |
               \u^u^u:` . `-'  ;  |
                `-.^ u`._   _.'^'./
                   "-.^.-```_=~._/
                      `"------"'

                                 `| |
                    .-"-.__       | .' 
                   /  ,-|  ```'-, || . `
                  /  /@)|_       `-,  | 
                 /  ( ~ \_```""--.,_',  :
              _.'    \   /```''''""`^
             /        | /        `|   :
            /         \/          | |   .
           /      __/  |          |. |
          |     __/  / |          |     |
"-._      |    _/ _/=_//          ||  :
'.  `~~`~^|   /=/-_/_/`~~`~~~`~~`~^~`. 
  `> ' .   \  ~/_/_ /"   `  .  ` ' .   |  
 .' ,'~^~`^|   |~^`^~~`~~~^~~~^~`;       '
 .-'       | | |                  \ ` : `
           |  :|                  | : |
           |:  |                  ||    '
           | |/                   |  |   :
           |_/                    | .  '

                 ..
                            .' @`._
             ~       ...._.'  ,__.-;
          _..------/`           .-'    ~
         :     __./'       ,  .'-'--.._
      ~   `---(.-'''---.    \`._       `.   ~
        _.--'(  .______.'.-' `-.`        `.
       :      `-..____`-.                  ;
       `.             ````                 ;   ~
         `-.__                        __.-'
              ````-----.......-----'''    ~
           ~                   ~   

  _--_                                     _--_
/#()# #\         0             0         /# #()#\
|()##  \#\_       \           /       _/#/  ##()|
|#()##-=###\_      \         /      _/###=-##()#|
 \#()#-=##  #\_     \       /     _/#  ##=-#()#/
  |#()#--==### \_    \     /    _/ ###==--#()#|
  |#()##--=#    #\_   \!!!/   _/#    #=--##()#|
   \#()##---===####\   O|O   /####===---##()#/
    |#()#____==#####\ / Y \ /#####==____#()#|
     \###______######|\/#\/|######______###/
        ()#O#/      ##\_#_/##      \#O#()
       ()#O#(__-===###/ _ \###===-__)#O#()
      ()#O#(   #  ###_(_|_)_###  #   )#O#()
      ()#O(---#__###/ (_|_) \###__#---)O#()
      ()#O#( / / ##/  (_|_)  \## \ \ )#O#()
      ()##O#\_/  #/   (_|_)   \#  \_/#O##()
       \)##OO#\ -)    (_|_)    (- /#OO##(/
        )//##OOO*|    / | \    |*OOO##\\(
        |/_####_/    ( /X\ )    \_####_\|
       /X/ \__/       \___/       \__/ \X\
      (#/                               \#)

 ______
   `""-.  `````-----.....__
        `.  .      .       `-.
          :     .     .       `.
    ,     :   .    .          _ :
   : `.   :                  (@) `._
    `. `..'     .     =`-.       .__}
      ;     .        =  ~  :     .-"
    .' .'`.   .    .  =.-'  `._ .'
   : .'   :               .   .'
    '   .'  .    .     .   .-'
      .'____....----''.'=.'
      ""             .'.'
                  ''"'`

                       ___
                    .-'   `'.
                   /         \
                   |         ;
                   |         |           ___.--,
          _.._     |0) ~ (0) |    _.---'`__.-( (_.
   __.--'`_.. '.__.\    '--. \_.-' ,.--'`     `""`
  ( ,.--'`   ',__ /./;   ;, '.__.'`    __
  _`) )  .---.__.' / |   |\   \__..--""  """--.,_
 `---' .'.''-._.-'`_./  /\ '.  \ _.-~~~````~~~-._`-.__.'
       | |  .' _.-' |  |  \  \  '.               `~---`
        \ \/ .'     \  \   '. '-._)
         \/ /        \  \    `=.__`~-.
         / /\         `) )    / / `"".`\
   , _.-'.'\ \        / /    ( (     / /
    `--~`   ) )    .-'.'      '.'.  | (
           (/`    ( (`          ) )  '-;
            `      '-;         (-'

        /^\    /^\
       {  O}  {  O}
        \ /    \ /
        //     //       _------_
       //     //     ./~        ~-_
      / ~----~/     /              \
    /         :   ./       _---_    ~-
   |  \________) :       /~     ~\   |
   |        /    |      |  :~~\  |   |
   |       |     |      |  \___-~    |
   |        \ __/`\______\.        ./
    \                     ~-______-~\.
    .|                                ~-_
   /_____________________________________~~____