Telnet – ‘I’ve got a bad feeling about this …’ April 29, 2008

Task:  Telnet over to towel.blinkenlights.nl for a bit of fun.  Record your reflections of your experiences. What do you think about Telnet now? 

                                                /\
                                              |oo )      We’re doomed!
                                             _\=/_
                           ___         #   /  _  \   #
                          /() \        \\//|/.\|\\//
                       _|_____|_    \/  \_/  \/
                      | | === | |        |\ /|
                      |_|  O  |_|         \_ _/
                       ||    O  ||           | | |
                       ||__*__||           | | |
                      |~ \___/ ~|        []|[]
                      /=\ /=\ /=\     | | |
              ____ _[_]_[_]_[_]___ /_]_[_\_________________________

Log entry:   This was my second experience using Telnet, and it was worth the visit. (I particularly enjoyed the scene in the bar – it was very true to the Star Wars movie.) If that was done today, it’d have more impressive graphics and other features, but I think its simplicity is also part of the appeal.

The basic use of symbols to create a picture also reminded me of older computer games such as Space Invaders, which have a simple design but are still entertaining. It demonstrates how people can be creative in developing applications using the tools that have, even if they seem basic by today’s standards. 

Telnet – to Deakin library April 27, 2008

Task:  Download and install a telnet client for your computer. Telnet to the deakin library database computer and search for author name Bennahum. Email the results to your Curtin email address and record the outcome.  

Log entry: 

 You searched for the AUTHOR: bennahum
 2 AUTHORS found, with 2 entries; AUTHORS 1-2 are:                           
 
     1   Bennahum David A 1936  ……………………………  1 entry
     2   Bennahum Ninotchka  ………………………………    1 entry
 
Reflections on the experience:

This exercise brought back memories of doing assignments my first time at university on an old Wang computer – it was about as user-friendly as telneting the Deakin library. This shows that my past experiences provide context for my interactions using the Internet. On the other hand, I didn’t find that using telnet to remotely access the Deakin computer lessened the recognition of difference between humans and computers – in fact, the ‘difficult’ interface is likely to have heightened this difference.