From: *@eli.users.panix.com   
      
   Someone I know posts to usenet with a giant classic of ASCII art in his   
   headers. I wrote this script (slightly cleaned up for posting here) to   
   find the outline of the figure. Someone may enjoy it.   
      
   And I'm including the art and the output, which more people may enjoy.   
      
   Elijah   
   ------   
   #!/usr/local/bin/perl -w   
   use strict;   
   use vars qw( @X @c $i $j $l $s $e $p );   
      
   $s = 2;		# start line for most processing   
   $e = 162;	# end line for most processing   
   $p = chr(0);	# placeholder not space and not in original   
   setX();		# $X holds all the lines   
      
   $l=0;   
   for (@X) {	# find longest line   
     if(length($_) > $l) {   
       $l = length($_);   
     }   
   }   
      
   for ($i = $s-1; $i < $e+1; $i ++) {   
     $_ = $X[$i] . ' ' x $l; # padding so new shortest is size of old longest   
     $c[$i] = [ split(//), ' ' ];	# 2-d array of chars   
   }   
      
   # Keep first and last char of each line unless there's a space   
   # above it or below it.   
   for ($i = $s; $i < $e; $i ++) {   
     for ($j = 1; $j < ($l-1); $j ++) {   
       if(defined($c[$i][$j]) and $c[$i][$j] =~ /\S/) {   
      
          if( ($c[$i-1][$j] =~ /\S/) and   
              ($c[$i+1][$j] =~ /\S/) and   
    	   ($c[$i][$j-1] =~ /\S/) and   
    	   ($c[$i][$j+1] =~ /\S/) ) {   
            $c[$i][$j] = $p;   
          }   
       }   
     }   
   }   
      
   # replace placeholders   
   for ($i = $s; $i < $e; $i ++) {   
     for ($j = 1; $j < $l; $j ++) {   
       if(defined($c[$i][$j]) and $c[$i][$j] eq $p) { $c[$i][$j] = ' ' }   
       $X[$i] = join('', @{$c[$i]});   
       $X[$i] =~ s/ +$//;	# depad   
     }   
   }   
      
   for ($i = 0; $i < @X; $i ++) {   
     printf "X-%03d: %s\n", $i, $X[$i];   
   }   
      
   sub setX {   
   $X[0] = '';   
   $X[1] = '';   
   $X[2] = '                           8888  8888888';   
   $X[3] = '                    888888888888888888888888';   
   $X[4] = '                 8888:::8888888888888888888888888';   
   $X[5] = '               8888::::::8888888888888888888888888888';   
   $X[6] = '              88::::::::888:::8888888888888888888888888';   
   $X[7] = '            88888888::::8:::::::::::88888888888888888888';   
   $X[8] = '          888 8::888888::::::::::::::::::88888888888   888';   
   $X[9] = '             88::::88888888::::m::::::::::88888888888    8';   
   $X[10] = '           888888888888888888:M:::::::::::8888888888888';   
   $X[11] = '          88888888888888888888::::::::::::M88888888888888';   
   $X[12] = '          8888888888888888888888:::::::::M8888888888888888';   
   $X[13] = '           8888888888888888888888:::::::M888888888888888888';   
   $X[14] = '          8888888888888888::88888::::::M88888888888888888888';   
   $X[15] = '       88888888888888888:::88888:::::M888888888888888   8888';   
   $X[16] = '      88888888888888888:::88888::::M::;o*M*o;888888888    88';   
   $X[17] = '     88888888888888888:::8888:::::M:::::::::::88888888    8';   
   $X[18] = '    88888888888888888::::88::::::M:;:::::::::::888888888';   
   $X[19] = '   8888888888888888888:::8::::::M::aAa::::::::M88888888888';   
   $X[20] = '   88   8888888888::88::::8::::M:::::::::::::8888888888888888888';   
   $X[21] = '  88  88888888888:::8:::::::::M::::::::::;::88:88888888888888888';   
   $X[22] = '  8  8888888888888:::::::::::M::"@@@@@@@"::::8w8888888888888888';   
   $X[23] = '   88888888888:888::::::::::M:::::"@a@":::::M8i888888888888888';   
   $X[24] = '  8888888888::::88:::::::::M88:::::::::::::M88z88888888888888888';   
   $X[25] = '  88888888:::::8:::::::::M88888:::::::::MM888!888888888888888888';   
   $X[26] = ' 888888888:::::8:::::::::M8888888MAmmmAMVMM888*8888888888888888';   
   $X[27] = '  88888 M:::::::::::::::M888888888:::::::MM888888888888888888888';   
   $X[28] = '  888   M::::::::::::::M88888888888::::::MM88888888888888888888';   
   $X[29] = '  888   M:::::::::::::M8888888888888M:::::mM8888888888888888888';   
   $X[30] = '   888  M::::::::::::M8888:888888888888::::m::Mm88888 8888888888';   
   $X[31] = '    88  M::::::::::::8888:88888888888888888::::::Mm8   88888888';   
   $X[32] = '    88  M::::::::::8888M::88888::888888888888:::::::Mm8888888';   
   $X[33] = '    8   MM::::::::8888M:::8888:::::888888888888::::::::Mm8 4';   
   $X[34] = '        8M:::::::8888M:::::888:::::::88:::8888888::::::::Mm2';   
   $X[35] = '       88MM:::::8888M:::::::88::::::::8:::::888888:::M:::::M';   
   $X[36] = '      8888M:::::888MM::::::::8:::::::::::M::::8888::::M::::M';   
   $X[37] = '     88888M:::::88:M::::::::::8:::::::::::M:::8888::::::M::M';   
   $X[38] = '   88 888MM:::888:M:::::::::::::::::::::::M:8888:::::::::M:';   
   $X[39] = '    8 88888M::88::M:::::::::::::::::::::::MM:88::::::::::::M';   
   $X[40] = '      88888M::88::M::::::::::*88*::::::::::M:88::::::::::::::M';   
   $X[41] = '     888888M::88::M:::::::::88@@88:::::::::M::88::::::::::::::M';   
   $X[42] = '    888888MM::88:MM:::::::::88@@88:::::::::M:::8::::::::::::::*88';   
   $X[43] = '     88888M:::8::MM::::::::::*88*::::::::::M::::::::::::::::::88@@';   
   $X[44] = '     8888 MM::::::MM::::::::::::::::::::::MM::::::::::::::::::88@@';   
   $X[45] = '     888    M:::::::MM:::::::::::::::::::MM::M::::::::::::::::*88';   
   $X[46] = '      888    MM:::::::MMM::::::::::::::::MM:::MM:::::::::::::::M';   
   $X[47] = '       88     M::::::::MMMM:::::::::::MMMM:::::MM::::::::::::MM';   
   $X[48] = '        88    MM:::::::::MMMMMMMMMMMMMMM::::::::MMM::::::::MMM';   
   $X[49] = '         88    MM::::::::::::MMMMMMM::::::::::::::MMMMMMMMMM';   
   $X[50] = '          88   8MM::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::MMMMMM';   
   $X[51] = '           8   88MM::::::::::::::::::::::M:::M::::::::MM';   
   $X[52] = '               888MM::::::::::::::::::MM::::::MM::::::MM';   
   $X[53] = '              88888MM:::::::::::::::MMM:::::::mM:::::MM';   
   $X[54] = '              888888MM:::::::::::::MMM:::::::::MMM:::M';   
   $X[55] = '             88888888MM:::::::::::MMM:::::::::::MM:::M';   
   $X[56] = '            88 8888888M:::::::::MMM::::::::::::::M:::M';   
   $X[57] = '            8  888888 M:::::::MM:::::::::::::::::M:::M';   
   $X[58] = '               888888 M::::::M:::::::::::::::::::M:::M';   
   $X[59] = '              888888  M:::::M::::::::::::::::::::M:::M';   
   $X[60] = '              888888  M:::::m::::::::::::::::::::MM::M';   
   $X[61] = '              88888   M:::::m:::::::::::::::::::::M:::M';   
   $X[62] = '             88888    M:::::m::::::::::::@:::::::::M:::M';   
   $X[63] = '            88888    M::::::M:::::::::::@@::::::::::mm:::M';   
   $X[64] = '           88888     M::::::m::::::::::::@@::::::::::m::::MM';   
   $X[65] = '           8888    M:::::::::M::::::::::::@@::::::::::M::::MM';   
   $X[66] = '          8888    M:::::::::::M::::::::::::@@::::::::::M::::M';   
   $X[67] = '         888      M::::::::::::m:::::::::::@::::::::::::M::::M';   
   $X[68] = '       8888      M:::::::::::::::M::::::::::::::::::::::m::::MM';   
   $X[69] = '      888        M::::::::::::::::m:::::::::::::::::::::M:::::MM';   
   $X[70] = '   8888         MM:::::::::::::::::M::::::::::::::::::::m::::::mM';   
      
   [continued in next message]   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)