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| ==Explanation== | | ==Explanation== |
− | {{w|Douglas Hofstadter}} is an American author who has written several books about philosophy, mathematics, and science. He is perhaps most famous for his book ''{{w|Gödel, Escher, Bach}}'' which explores "strange loops," or {{w|self-reference|self-referential systems}}. "Meta-" is a Greek prefix meaning "outside" or "beyond." As an adjective, "meta" informally refers to anything self-referential, like the last phrase of this sentence. An example of the use of such a term can be found in [[1313: Regex Golf]].
| + | The second panel reads "I'm So Meta, Even This Acronym." Going back and reading the first letters of these words yields "IS META." |
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− | At first reading, the six word autobiography in the second panel, "I'm So Meta, Even This ''Acronym''", may seem unfinished, however the clue is in the final word. An acronym is an abbreviation formed by the initial letters of a series of words, and reading the first letter of each of the six words in order yields "ISMETA", completing the sentence and setting up the self-reference where it reads "I'm so meta, even this acronym IS META". Hofstadter himself did something similar in ''Gödel, Escher, Bach'' in the chapter "Contracrostipunctus", where the first letter of each line spells out the phrase "'''H'''ofstadter's '''C'''ontracrostipunctus '''A'''crostically '''B'''ackwards '''S'''pells '''J'''.S.Bach" - and taking the first letters of each word in ''that'' sentence backwards does indeed spell "'''J.S. BACH'''".
| + | {{w|Douglas Hofstadter}} is an American author who has written several books about philosophy, mathematics, and science. He is perhaps most famous for his book ''{{w|Gödel, Escher, Bach}}'' which explores "strange loops," or {{w|self-reference|self-referential systems}}. "Meta-" is a Greek prefix meaning "outside" or "beyond." As an adjective, "meta" informally refers to anything self-referential, like this sentence. |
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− | This comic is probably a reference to ''{{w|Six-Word Memoirs}}'', a project launched in 2006 in which people "tell their life story in just six-words".
| + | In the title text, reference implementation is a reference to the standard implementation during a software development process. |
− | This comic may additionally be a reference to the meme "explain <whatever> in six words", which was making the rounds at the time.
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− | In the title text, a ''reference implementation'' is, broadly, an example of how to implement some feature during the software development process. In this case the feature is a self-referential joke, and the sentence itself is, correctly, self-referential.
| + | Additionally, around the time of this comic the "explain <insert whatever here> in six words" meme was making the rounds. |
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− | Hofstadter has been referenced before, in the title text of [[555: Two Mirrors]] and [[608: Form]]. Furthermore, his famous book has been directly spoofed in the title of [[24: Godel, Escher, Kurt Halsey]]. Finally, the self-reference reference ("IS META") is also a typical concept used most famously in [[688: Self-Description]] but also in [[:Category:Self-reference|several other comics]].
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| ==Transcript== | | ==Transcript== |
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| :[Close up of Megan, reading the tiny book.] | | :[Close up of Megan, reading the tiny book.] |
− | :Book: I'm So Meta, Even This ''Acronym'' | + | :Book: I'm So Meta, Even This Acronym |
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| :[Full shot of Cueball and Megan again. Megan looks down at the tiny book in her hand.] | | :[Full shot of Cueball and Megan again. Megan looks down at the tiny book in her hand.] |
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| [[Category:Comics featuring Megan]] | | [[Category:Comics featuring Megan]] |
| [[Category:Language]] | | [[Category:Language]] |
− | [[Category:Self-reference]]
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