Snakes and tentacles

Hello, I'm George Miranda, a freshman at UCLA. I'm new to cyberspace, but I'm learning fast. I'm curious as to how one goes about setting up a snake or a tentacle, and further more, how you find out that a particular address is one. I might've tried my luck at SQUASH, but I was too late, and I do not know how to find snakes. I'd really appreciate it if you could clue me in as to how to go about setting up and finding snakes, as a favor from one cyberpunk to one in training. Thank you. Sincerely, George Miranda