Happy days . Obviously you wouldn't have a web browser, so you'd load a program like Qmodem or Procomm to dial up your BBS of choice, at a massive 2400baud or so, set the parity, data bits, stop bits and if it supported ANSI you would even get different coloured characters and some block graphics.

Related to the modem noises, I once convinced a workmate that my Dad could whistle a picture of a boat to a fax machine.