_Reboot_: a semantic extension thereof

[Wilson Gray]

On Sat, Apr 9, 2011 at 4:57 PM, Garson O'Toole
<adsgarsonotoole at gmail.com> wrote:
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> Sender: Â  Â  Â  American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster: Â  Â  Â  Garson O'Toole <adsgarsonotoole at GMAIL.COM>
> Subject: Â  Â  Â Re: _Reboot_: a semantic extension thereof
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> Â Wilson Gray wrote
>> Subject: Â  Â  Â _Reboot_: a semantic extension thereof
>> "... Wonder Woman, NBC's _reboot_ of the comic-book heroine's hit '70's show."
>
> The word reboot has been used in phrases such as: Battlestar Galatica
> reboot, Superman reboot, Batman reboot. This use may be derived from
> comic book terminology. Usage was already established by 1996 when it
> appeared in an FAQ:
>
> Newsgroups: rec.arts.comics.info
> Followup-To: rec.arts.comics.dc.universe
> From: fra... at fife.cs.indiana.edu (JL Franke)
> Date: 1996/09/24
> Subject: [FAQ] Short Rec.arts.comics.dc.universe Frequently Asked Questions
>
> Â The Rec.Arts.Comics.DC.Universe
> Â  Â  Â  Â  Â  Â  Â  Â  Â  Â  Â  Frequently Asked Questions List
> Â  Â  Â  Â  Â  Â  Â  Â  Â  Â  Â  Â  Â  Â  Â  Â  Short Form
> ...
> E4. What's a reboot?
> A reboot is the complete remaking of a character or title's continuity.
>
>
> The OED appears to include this sense under:
> reboot, v. 2. trans. In extended use: to start (a process, etc.)
> afresh or with renewed vigour; to restart. Also intr.
>
> The first cite is 1989 and the first media related cite is 2006:
>
> 1989 Â  Â Globe & Mail (Toronto) 30 Mar. b1/5 Â  Computer retailer Canada
> Lease is still hoping to reboot its operation despite the National
> Bank of Canada demanding repayment of its debt.
>
> 2006    N.Y. Times (Nexis) 24 Dec. ii. 38/2   Fox started ‘24’ in the
> fall, took time off during the baseball playoffs and rebooted the
> series in January.
>
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>

Well, yes. But all of that doesn't strike me as being the same thing
as using _reboot_ as a pswaydo-hip pomposity in place of the
established "remake."

But, that's merely my interpretation.

YMMV.
--
-Wilson
-----
All say, "How hard it is that we have to die!"---a strange complaint
to come from the mouths of people who have had to live.
-Mark Twain

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