Talk:Jeff Tupper self referential formula

I stumbled onto a reference about this equation and was surprised so little additional information existed on the web about it. As I know that others would find it interesting, my hope is that this article will be enhanced and effectively cross-linked. Skotos 18:44, 18 January 2007 (UTC)

Noteworthy!

 * Keep this article! expand it!  This is really neat and noteworthy! —The preceding unsigned comment was added by Paulmcdonald (talk • contribs) 19:33, 18 January 2007 (UTC). (woops for got to sign... --Paul McDonald 19:33, 18 January 2007 (UTC))


 * See http://avitzur.hax.com/2007/01/the_library_of_babel_function.html for an explanation of how the formula was constructed. Short version: The formula not only graphs itself, it graphs every 17-pixel high black&white bitmap sequentially as one travels up the y-axis. RonAvitzur 06:59, 24 January 2007 (UTC)

Not self-referential
I don't see how the formula proper is self-referential; it is effectively a bitmap image renderer and the value of n given happens to be the bitmap for the equation, but n could just as easily be given a value for a picture of a rectangle, or 1+1=2, or the name of each person viewing it. The interesting information is in the value of n, not within the formula, making the formula nearly uninteresting except as just one example of an infinite number of formulas capable of generating similar images.

If this is not the case, I'd like to see a cite that explains why this particular formula should be labeled "self-referential" in the absence of this particular value of n. The cites I read don't seem to discuss this in any detail. —Chris Page 10:17, 24 January 2007 (UTC)