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["This is the reference implementation of the self-referential joke." http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/hofstadter.png][2]

Title text: ""This is the reference implementation of the self-referential joke.""

Meta

The source of this answer contains three links to http://xkcd.com/917/: this one, the one before, and the one before the one before the latter one mentioned in this sentence.

</meta>

Another picture worth a thousand words:

[![The contents of any one panel are dependent on the contents of every panel including itself. The graph of panel dependencies is complete and bidirectional, and each node has a loop. The mouseover text has two hundred and forty-two characters.][3]][4]

Title text: "The contents of any one panel are dependent on the contents of every panel including itself. The graph of panel dependencies is complete and bidirectional, and each node has a loop. The mouseover text has two hundred and forty-two characters."

Basically, for something to be 'meta' in [common] usage, it must satisfy at least one of the following conditions:

• It is self referential.
• It is recursive.
• It is about something.

""This is the reference implementation of the self-referential joke."" [2]: http://xkcd.com/917/ [3]: http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/self_description.png "The contents of any one panel are dependent on the contents of every panel including itself. The graph of panel dependencies is complete and bidirectional, and each node has a loop. The mouseover text has two hundred and forty-two characters." [4]: http://xkcd.com/688/

[][2]

Title text: ""This is the reference implementation of the self-referential joke.""

Meta

The source of this answer contains three links to http://xkcd.com/917/: this one, the one before, and the one before the one before the latter one mentioned in this sentence.

</meta>

Another picture worth a thousand words:

[![The contents of any one panel are dependent on the contents of every panel including itself. The graph of panel dependencies is complete and bidirectional, and each node has a loop. The mouseover text has two hundred and forty-two characters.][3]][4]

Title text: "The contents of any one panel are dependent on the contents of every panel including itself. The graph of panel dependencies is complete and bidirectional, and each node has a loop. The mouseover text has two hundred and forty-two characters."

Basically, for something to be 'meta' in [common] usage, it must satisfy at least one of the following conditions:

• It is self referential.
• It is recursive.
• It is about something.

""This is the reference implementation of the self-referential joke."" [2]: http://xkcd.com/917/ [3]: https://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/self_description.png "The contents of any one panel are dependent on the contents of every panel including itself. The graph of panel dependencies is complete and bidirectional, and each node has a loop. The mouseover text has two hundred and forty-two characters." [4]: http://xkcd.com/688/

"This is the reference implementation of the self-referential joke." http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/hofstadter.png

Title text: ""This is the reference implementation of the self-referential joke.""

Meta

The source of this answer contains three links to http://xkcd.com/917/: this one, the one before, and the one before the one before the latter one mentioned in this sentence.

</meta>

Another picture worth a thousand words:

The contents of any one panel are dependent on the contents of every panel including itself. The graph of panel dependencies is complete and bidirectional, and each node has a loop. The mouseover text has two hundred and forty-two characters. http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/self_description.png

Title text: "The contents of any one panel are dependent on the contents of every panel including itself. The graph of panel dependencies is complete and bidirectional, and each node has a loop. The mouseover text has two hundred and forty-two characters."

Basically, for something to be 'meta' in [common] usage, it must satisfy at least one of the following conditions:

• It is self referential.
• It is recursive.
• It is about something.

["This is the reference implementation of the self-referential joke." http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/hofstadter.png][2]

Title text: ""This is the reference implementation of the self-referential joke.""

Meta

The source of this answer contains three links to http://xkcd.com/917/: this one, the one before, and the one before the one before the latter one mentioned in this sentence.

</meta>

Another picture worth a thousand words:

[![The contents of any one panel are dependent on the contents of every panel including itself. The graph of panel dependencies is complete and bidirectional, and each node has a loop. The mouseover text has two hundred and forty-two characters.][3]][4]

Title text: "The contents of any one panel are dependent on the contents of every panel including itself. The graph of panel dependencies is complete and bidirectional, and each node has a loop. The mouseover text has two hundred and forty-two characters."

Basically, for something to be 'meta' in [common] usage, it must satisfy at least one of the following conditions:

• It is self referential.
• It is recursive.
• It is about something.

""This is the reference implementation of the self-referential joke."" [2]: http://xkcd.com/917/ [3]: http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/self_description.png "The contents of any one panel are dependent on the contents of every panel including itself. The graph of panel dependencies is complete and bidirectional, and each node has a loop. The mouseover text has two hundred and forty-two characters." [4]: http://xkcd.com/688/

[!["This is the reference implementation of the self-referential joke."][1]][2]

Alt text: ""This is the reference implementation of the self-referential joke.""

Meta

The source of this answer contains three links to http://xkcd.com/917/: this one, the one before, and the one before the one before the latter one mentioned in this sentence. [1]: http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/hofstadter.png [2]: http://xkcd.com/917/

"This is the reference implementation of the self-referential joke." http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/hofstadter.png

Title text: ""This is the reference implementation of the self-referential joke.""

Meta

The source of this answer contains three links to http://xkcd.com/917/: this one, the one before, and the one before the one before the latter one mentioned in this sentence.

</meta>

Another picture worth a thousand words:

The contents of any one panel are dependent on the contents of every panel including itself. The graph of panel dependencies is complete and bidirectional, and each node has a loop. The mouseover text has two hundred and forty-two characters. http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/self_description.png

Title text: "The contents of any one panel are dependent on the contents of every panel including itself. The graph of panel dependencies is complete and bidirectional, and each node has a loop. The mouseover text has two hundred and forty-two characters."

Basically, for something to be 'meta' in [common] usage, it must satisfy at least one of the following conditions:

• It is self referential.
• It is recursive.
• It is about something.