Randall Munroe

[xixi]

What type is xkcd creator Randall Munroe?

Firstly, i think it's definitely out of the NT's...although i did read a thread on another site where several ppl suggested ISTp

judging by the content of his comics, i'd say he's Ti valuing, a large portion of his comics revealing some unconscious underlying structure of areas of the geek world.

he also seems to like algorithms, which i've read is a TeNi thing...

although he knew that he probably would have sold more books through a mainstream publisher distributing through bookstores, he chose to sell his book over the internet. so he wasn't interested in making as much money or selling as many books as possible, which seems Te-devaluing (???)

looking at video footage of him, he appears to be more of a judging type. he's calm and collected, effortlessly self deprecating, modest, manages to relate to questioners very easily, is private about his personal life, seems to be excited by unknown possibilities (Ne as an ego function?), cares a lot about whether his audience likes his work...

all in all, i'd say he's either INTj or some hybrid IENTj

[xixi]

oh and the way he dresses is quite boring and unaesthetically pleasing. he clearly values functionality and comfort over style.

[Krig the Viking]

Just watched his lecture at Google -- I would say he is almost certainly LII. ILE and LII are the only two possible options, really, and I think his IJ nature comes across quite clearly in that video.

[xixi]

Yes, he does come across as very LII in the Google lecture, and in other lectures too.
i.e. beginning sentences with 'So...'; being seemingly unaware of how annoyingly repetitive his movements are; not minding when the conversation becomes tangential to the initial topic/question, resorting to problem solving a difficult physics puzzle to help himself feel comfortable in the lavatory (LOL)...

Krig, what about him in the Google lectures would indicate an IJ nature?

He VI's more as SLI than LII.
That being said, he seems to have a lot of crazy, kooky, but plausible ideas (i.e. Ne) for an SLI...so either he's overcompensating on his HA, or that's his creative function. since it almost seems like second nature to him to come up with crazy ideas, and the ideas are well thought out, i'd guess it's his creative function (i.e. he's an LII).

[Krig the Viking]

Krig, what about him in the Google lectures would indicate an IJ nature?

Body language, mostly. He's very pulled-together, arms tend to remain close to his body, doesn't make large, sweeping movements. Also, his manner of speaking is soft and careful.

An ILE would be more outwardly-focused, less careful, looser.

[xixi]

aah, ok. fair point

i was tripped up by his rather good impersonation of *person doing a triple take over string coming down from the sky, seemingly out of nowhere*, but i guess there's nothing to say that an IJ can't be good at physical impersonations

[Creepy-Pied Piper]

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[Creepy-Pied Piper]

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[xixi]

hmmm, interesting Pinnochio....about binary logic being a Ti-leading thing, and the preference for simplicity and clarity over flexibility and handy but complex options. i have definitely noticed this in two LII i personally know.
might interest you to know that on his site, he references a textbook about how to present data clearly.

don't know much about his preferences as i don't know him personally, and he steers away from talk of his personal life. his comic is tagged as being about 'romance, sarcasm, math and language'. He's very into physics, computers, maths (also his university majors) and raptors (the dinosaurs from Jurassic Park)...he likes logic puzzles, analyzing complex problems using maths...prefers to be seen as a regular person rather than 'famous'. suffice to say, he enjoys reading comics. he likes to read. in fact, he made a prop up stand for his Kindle. on his site he jokes about going to goth parties dressed as a nerd, and going to nerd parties dressed as a goth, and looking uncomfortable at both, lol. hhmm, wot else...he uses an electric skateboard, and has a ballpit in his room...he has a thing for comedian Janeane Garofalo b/c she's 'cute' (i think referring to her personality). He comes across as very measured in the way he thinks and acts. He's a perfectionist with his work. It's hard to say really. I could probably guess at his preferences based on the comic's contents, but that could be tricky, trying to separate fact from fiction. But thinking about it, he seems more and more to fit into the category of LII.

if we were to dual type him, i'd chance to think his IM is LII, but not sure about his EM.

i don't know really know what my type is to be honest.

[Creepy-Pied Piper]

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[krieger]

(not the first guy that appears)

From vibes alone, that's probably not an IxTj type. ISTp is far more likely.

[Wrong Way Ticket]

Update: I just noticed here: "http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zJOS0sV2a24" his preference for C and Python over Perl, which he calls "ugly". This is common to Ti types, they are bothered by the so called "flexibility" of languages such Perl, Bash or Ruby. Te types favour the latter, Perl and Ruby were written by ILIs, Te types being bothered by the "limitations" of their Ti counterparts - Python, C, Lua - which don't offer built-in handy complex constructs.

I dare say by "ugly" he means poor readability. Nothing to do with lack of flexibility or complex constructs. Python has very high readability.

[Creepy-Pied Piper]

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[Creepy-Pied Piper]

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[xixi]

Well yeah, i see where you're coming from re. dual typing....esp. on the r'ships point. it could explain a lot tho...if dual types existed. it could explain the diverse variation within type groups. and how many ppl seem to think like one type and act like another.

Can't really tell with certainty which approach i prefer. I don't know anything about computer programming, and I can't think what area requires me to choose between the two approaches. Based on 'gut' feeling alone, i'd say the flexible/handy/but complex option. but i imagine that would likely lead to eventual clutter/redundancy/confusion, and thus, eventual fallback onto the simple/clear option.
both my parents, i would guess, are of the simple/clear preference. i think that may have rubbed off on me somewhat over the years.

[Creepy-Pied Piper]

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[xixi]

As a preference, this seems valid, but in a rather passive (somehow not really interested in changing the things if not matching, more adaptable) way by the valuers of these functions, Fi (valuing Te) and respectively Fe (valuing Ti), but I have not yet found an explanation for this.

My guess is that Fi/Fe'ers do not change the devices to match their values (Ti/Te) due to lack of understanding of the devices on offer (result of poor Ti), and being unsure of their ability to gain a better understanding (and as a result, do not try to find out more about what's available).
also, Fi/Fe'ers seem disposed to adapt to what they already have (or rather, make what they have work to suit their needs). some may form sentimental attachments/ attachments out of habit to the software that they are used to.

These are too few examples, but maybe you get an idea. People who prefer one of them are not required to use the same IEs as the ones used at its construction, for example I know an ILI OSX fanatic - brand which actually uses Se/Ni as well, but anyway, all types can probably be content with a Mac, or any other OS.

IE? OS? sorry, i don't speak computerese

[Creepy-Pied Piper]

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[Singu]

Read his blog... he sounds more like a Feeler to me:

xkcd

He's nice and polite and his edges are rounded off.

[xixi]

being polite doesn't preclude someone from being a T. That's a false stereotype. Have you seen his 'Fuck Grapefruit' and 'Fuck computational linguists' comics?
i'm starting to doubt that he's an INTj though...he reminds me more of ENTj's i personally know in that

- he has a dry, crisp tone of voice (INTj's tend to carefully control the timbre of their voices i notice. and they tend to speak more softly. i think it's an Si Hidden Agenda thing...)

- he paces back and forth as if unable to stand in the one spot (not an Se PoLR thing to do, but more like Se Hidden Agenda)

- his movements are fluid, not erratic in style (Ej not Ij)

- his drawing style is very much like that of an ENTj lecturer of mine - for instance, he likes to draw graphs to show the real-world change in a thing over time (Ni-producing). Often these graphs have a Te focus (eg. programming proficiency as a function of blood alcohol). In fact, a number of comics reveal that he has Te in the forefront of his conscious mind (xkcd - A webcomic of romance, sarcasm, math, and language - By Randall Munroe ). Looking through his work, actually many of the comics would indicate that he's Ni-producing (likes to detail explicitly a change/trend through time): xkcd - A webcomic of romance, sarcasm, math, and language - By Randall Munroe , xkcd - A webcomic of romance, sarcasm, math, and language - By Randall Munroe, xkcd - A webcomic of romance, sarcasm, math, and language - By Randall Munroe , 'The Race' 5-part series of comics, xkcd - A webcomic of romance, sarcasm, math, and language - By Randall Munroe, xkcd - A webcomic of romance, sarcasm, math, and language - By Randall Munroe . Ne is also an element of the comics, but the Ne-element seems 'leaked in', that is present, but not the main focus, as would be expected with a strong ignoring function. Although his Ti and Ne are very strong, in the comics, the Te and Ni are more common, better refined so to speak...

- he openly reveals his romantic side in his work (as far as i can see, most INTj's are awkwardly self-conscious and highly private on the topic of their own romantic relationships/desire for one). Related to this, he unself-consciously makes sex jokes, but they're never what you'd call crude or vulgar, they tend to have a deeper subtext to them (and I've noticed this is a characteristic behaviour in three ENTj's i know (one of which is the lecturer mentioned earlier) (xkcd - A webcomic of romance, sarcasm, math, and language - By Randall Munroe ). I think the lack of self-restraint on what is typically a delicate and personal subject matter may be a result of Fi-obliviousness. Not sure why cheesey romance seems to come naturally to ENTj's though...). Also, he's attracted to Janeane Garofalo. If i'm not mistaken she's not an Fe-creating type.

- This comic (xkcd - A webcomic of romance, sarcasm, math, and language - By Randall Munroe) looks like it came out of an ENTj mind. Whether he's laughing with or at the smart engineer is hard to say, probably both. All in all his sense of humour is ENTj-esque in that it assumes the reader's knowledge of somewhat esoteric and technical domains (physics, maths, computer programming...)

- he uses linking words/phrases minimally (as if assuming his listeners will make the Ti connections - subconscious Ti).

- Facially, he's slightly more ENTj-looking than INTj-looking

[xixi]

hmm, i might be talking to myself, but here's another observation...

-the way he expresses Te in his comics is really quirky/inventive/creative, and doesn't take itself seriously....which makes me think he's actually not ENTj (as i thought earlier). an ENTj would take Te much more seriously, i'm guessing...and see Te in a much more straightforward fashion

with the amount of Ne he produces i'm going to guess he's a C-LII. And indeed, going by JohnDo's VI technique, he does have a cuboidal shaped profile, although he also has a prominent chin as well (which creates an oval look when seen front on). i wonder if a person can be both Creative AND Harmonizing (as that would make sense given the amount of Ni and attention to a clean aeshetic in the comic)