In the novels of
Arthur C. Clarke, an error condition common to advanced
computers with
autonomous goal-seeking programs, such as
HAL 9000. (Presumably named after
Professor Douglas Hofstadter.) It can occur when the computer is given a
directive in conflict with its basic design principles, and is unable to resolve the conflict. The symptoms are very similar to a
schizophrenic psychosis in humans.
HAL 9000 fell victim to a Hofstadter-Moebius loop during the Discovery's mission to Jupiter in 2001, with deadly results; one of the two 9000-series computers at Mission Control in Houston also displayed this error condition, presumably for similar reasons.
Source: Arthur C. Clarke, 2001: a space odyssey, 2010: odyssey two