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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 | + | {{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. |
− | At first reading, the six word | + | At first reading, the six word biography in the second panel, "I'm So Meta, Even This Acronym", may seems unfinished, however the clue is in the final word. An acronym is an abbreviation formed by the initial components of a series of word, so reading the first letters of the words in order yields "IS META." Thus the intended reading of the biography is "I'm so meta, even this acronym is meta", setting up the self-reference. |
− | + | In the title text, reference implementation is a reference to the standard implementation during a software development process. | |
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− | + | Additionally, around the time of this comic the "explain <insert whatever here> in six words" meme was making the rounds. | |
− | Hofstadter | + | Hofstadter had already been referenced 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 very early in [[33: Self-reference]] and in the title text of [[442: xkcd Loves the Discovery Channel]]. |
==Transcript== | ==Transcript== | ||
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[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]] | [[Category:Comics featuring Megan]] | ||
[[Category:Language]] | [[Category:Language]] | ||
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