Randall Munroe
Encyclopedia
Randall Patrick Munroe is an American webcomic
author and former NASA
roboticist
as well as a programmer
, best known as the creator of the webcomic xkcd
. He and the webcomic have developed a cult following
, and he is one of a small but growing group of professional webcomic artists.
. After graduating from the Chesterfield County Mathematics and Science High School at Clover Hill
: A Renaissance Program, he graduated from Christopher Newport University
in 2006 with a degree in physics
. Munroe worked as an independent contractor
for NASA
at the Langley Research Center
before and after his graduation. In October 2006 NASA did not renew his contract and he began to write xkcd full-time. He now supports himself by the sale of xkcd related merchandise. The webcomic quickly became very popular, garnering up to 70 million hits a month by October 2007.
He has also toured the lecture
circuit, giving speeches at such places as Google
's Googleplex
in Mountain View, California
.
In December 2006, he wrote a check to Verizon
which used a complex math expression to specify its amount: $0.002. The check was written as a protest against problems a fellow customer experienced with Verizon's billing department.
, Munroe lived in Somerville, Massachusetts
.
In October of 2010 Munroe's fiancée was diagnosed with stage 3 breast cancer
. The diagnosis had a slight effect on the rate of publication of his comic strip, causing him to occasionally be several hours late. They married in September of 2011.
xkcd is a stick figure
comic with themes in computer science
, technology
, mathematics
, science
, language
, pop culture and romance.
Munroe had originally used xkcd as an instant messaging screenname because he wanted a name without a meaning so he wouldn't eventually grow tired of it. He registered the domain name, but left it idle until he started posting his drawings in September 2005. The comic has a very loyal fanbase. Munroe said, "I think the comic that's gotten me the most feedback is actually the one about the stoplights".
Munroe licenses his creations under the Creative Commons
attribution-noncommercial 2.5 license, stating that it isn't just about the free culture movement
, but that it also makes good business sense. His income derives from the sale of merchandise to his fans, sales consisting of thousands of t-shirts a month.
The popularity of the strip among science fiction fans
resulted in Munroe being nominated for a Hugo Award
for Best Fan Artist in 2011 (although the award for that year ultimately went to Brad Foster).
He started the "WetRiffs" website as a joke, one month after drawing the "Rule 34" comic, "lamenting the lack of guitar-in-the-shower pictures on the internet."
LimerickDB encourages the creation of new and the collection of old limerick
s.
Most recently he started a Geohashing wiki based on one of his comics which contains an algorithm
that generates pseudo-random coordinates around the world every day.
Aside from maintaining his websites, Munroe also engages in kite photography
, in which cameras are attached to kites and pictures are then taken of the ground or buildings.
In response to concerns about the radiation released by the Fukushima I nuclear accidents, and to remedy what he described as "confusing" reporting on radiation levels in the media, Munroe created a chart of comparative radiation exposure levels. The chart was rapidly adopted by print and online journalists in several countries, including being linked to by online writers for The Guardian
and The New York Times
. As a result of requests for permission to reprint the chart and to translate it into Japanese, Munroe placed it in the public domain
, but requested that his non-expert status should be clearly stated in any reprinting.
Webcomic
Webcomics, online comics, or Internet comics are comics published on a website. While many are published exclusively on the web, others are also published in magazines, newspapers or often in self-published books....
author and former NASA
NASA
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is the agency of the United States government that is responsible for the nation's civilian space program and for aeronautics and aerospace research...
roboticist
Roboticist
A roboticist designs, builds, programs, and experiments with robots. Since robotics is a highly interdisciplinary field, roboticists often have backgrounds in a number of disciplines including computer science, mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, and computer engineering...
as well as a programmer
Programmer
A programmer, computer programmer or coder is someone who writes computer software. The term computer programmer can refer to a specialist in one area of computer programming or to a generalist who writes code for many kinds of software. One who practices or professes a formal approach to...
, best known as the creator of the webcomic xkcd
Xkcd
xkcd is a webcomic created by Randall Munroe. The comic's tagline describes it as "a webcomic of romance, sarcasm, math, and language." It has been recognized in such mainstream media as The Guardian and The New York Times....
. He and the webcomic have developed a cult following
Cult following
A cult following is a group of fans who are highly dedicated to a specific area of pop culture. A film, book, band, or video game, among other things, will be said to have a cult following when it has a small but very passionate fan base...
, and he is one of a small but growing group of professional webcomic artists.
Biography
Munroe was a fan of the funny pages from an early age, starting off with Calvin and HobbesCalvin and Hobbes
Calvin and Hobbes is a syndicated daily comic strip that was written and illustrated by American cartoonist Bill Watterson, and syndicated from November 18, 1985, to December 31, 1995. It follows the humorous antics of Calvin, a precocious and adventurous six-year-old boy, and Hobbes, his...
. After graduating from the Chesterfield County Mathematics and Science High School at Clover Hill
Mathematics and Science High School at Clover Hill
The Chesterfield County Mathematics and Science High School at Clover Hill is a magnet school in Midlothian, Virginia. The school, which is on the campus of Clover Hill High School, opened in September 1994. The school is a member of the National Consortium for Specialized Secondary Schools of...
: A Renaissance Program, he graduated from Christopher Newport University
Christopher Newport University
Christopher Newport University, or CNU, is a public liberal arts university located in Newport News, Virginia, United States. CNU is the youngest comprehensive university in the Commonwealth of Virginia...
in 2006 with a degree in physics
Physics
Physics is a natural science that involves the study of matter and its motion through spacetime, along with related concepts such as energy and force. More broadly, it is the general analysis of nature, conducted in order to understand how the universe behaves.Physics is one of the oldest academic...
. Munroe worked as an independent contractor
Independent contractor
An independent contractor is a natural person, business, or corporation that provides goods or services to another entity under terms specified in a contract or within a verbal agreement. Unlike an employee, an independent contractor does not work regularly for an employer but works as and when...
for NASA
NASA
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is the agency of the United States government that is responsible for the nation's civilian space program and for aeronautics and aerospace research...
at the Langley Research Center
Langley Research Center
Langley Research Center is the oldest of NASA's field centers, located in Hampton, Virginia, United States. It directly borders Poquoson, Virginia and Langley Air Force Base...
before and after his graduation. In October 2006 NASA did not renew his contract and he began to write xkcd full-time. He now supports himself by the sale of xkcd related merchandise. The webcomic quickly became very popular, garnering up to 70 million hits a month by October 2007.
He has also toured the lecture
Lecture
thumb|A lecture on [[linear algebra]] at the [[Helsinki University of Technology]]A lecture is an oral presentation intended to present information or teach people about a particular subject, for example by a university or college teacher. Lectures are used to convey critical information, history,...
circuit, giving speeches at such places as Google
Google
Google Inc. is an American multinational public corporation invested in Internet search, cloud computing, and advertising technologies. Google hosts and develops a number of Internet-based services and products, and generates profit primarily from advertising through its AdWords program...
's Googleplex
Googleplex
The Googleplex is the corporate headquarters complex of Google, Inc., located at 1600 Amphitheatre Parkway in Mountain View, Santa Clara County, California, United States, near San Jose. "Googleplex" is a portmanteau of Google and complex, and a reference to googolplex, the name given to the large...
in Mountain View, California
Mountain View, California
-Downtown:Mountain View has a pedestrian-friendly downtown centered on Castro Street. The downtown area consists of the seven blocks of Castro Street from the Downtown Mountain View Station transit center in the north to the intersection with El Camino Real in the south...
.
In December 2006, he wrote a check to Verizon
Verizon Communications
Verizon Communications Inc. is a global broadband and telecommunications company and a component of the Dow Jones Industrial Average...
which used a complex math expression to specify its amount: $0.002. The check was written as a protest against problems a fellow customer experienced with Verizon's billing department.
, Munroe lived in Somerville, Massachusetts
Somerville, Massachusetts
Somerville is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, located just north of Boston. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 75,754 and was the most densely populated municipality in New England. It is also the 17th most densely populated incorporated place in...
.
In October of 2010 Munroe's fiancée was diagnosed with stage 3 breast cancer
Breast cancer
Breast cancer is cancer originating from breast tissue, most commonly from the inner lining of milk ducts or the lobules that supply the ducts with milk. Cancers originating from ducts are known as ductal carcinomas; those originating from lobules are known as lobular carcinomas...
. The diagnosis had a slight effect on the rate of publication of his comic strip, causing him to occasionally be several hours late. They married in September of 2011.
Webcomic
Stick figure
A stick figure is a very simple type of drawing made of lines and dots, often of the human form or other animals. In a stick figure, the head is represented by a circle, sometimes embellished with details such as eyes, mouth or crudely scratched-out hair. The arms, legs and torso are all...
comic with themes in computer science
Computer science
Computer science or computing science is the study of the theoretical foundations of information and computation and of practical techniques for their implementation and application in computer systems...
, technology
Technology
Technology is the making, usage, and knowledge of tools, machines, techniques, crafts, systems or methods of organization in order to solve a problem or perform a specific function. It can also refer to the collection of such tools, machinery, and procedures. The word technology comes ;...
, mathematics
Mathematics
Mathematics is the study of quantity, space, structure, and change. Mathematicians seek out patterns and formulate new conjectures. Mathematicians resolve the truth or falsity of conjectures by mathematical proofs, which are arguments sufficient to convince other mathematicians of their validity...
, science
Science
Science is a systematic enterprise that builds and organizes knowledge in the form of testable explanations and predictions about the universe...
, language
Language
Language may refer either to the specifically human capacity for acquiring and using complex systems of communication, or to a specific instance of such a system of complex communication...
, pop culture and romance.
Munroe had originally used xkcd as an instant messaging screenname because he wanted a name without a meaning so he wouldn't eventually grow tired of it. He registered the domain name, but left it idle until he started posting his drawings in September 2005. The comic has a very loyal fanbase. Munroe said, "I think the comic that's gotten me the most feedback is actually the one about the stoplights".
Munroe licenses his creations under the Creative Commons
Creative Commons
Creative Commons is a non-profit organization headquartered in Mountain View, California, United States devoted to expanding the range of creative works available for others to build upon legally and to share. The organization has released several copyright-licenses known as Creative Commons...
attribution-noncommercial 2.5 license, stating that it isn't just about the free culture movement
Free Culture movement
The free culture movement is a social movement that promotes the freedom to distribute and modify creative works in the form of free content by using the Internet and other forms of media....
, but that it also makes good business sense. His income derives from the sale of merchandise to his fans, sales consisting of thousands of t-shirts a month.
The popularity of the strip among science fiction fans
Science fiction fandom
Science fiction fandom or SF fandom is a community or "fandom" of people actively interested in science fiction and fantasy and in contact with one another based upon that interest...
resulted in Munroe being nominated for a Hugo Award
Hugo Award
The Hugo Awards are given annually for the best science fiction or fantasy works and achievements of the previous year. The award is named after Hugo Gernsback, the founder of the pioneering science fiction magazine Amazing Stories, and was officially named the Science Fiction Achievement Awards...
for Best Fan Artist in 2011 (although the award for that year ultimately went to Brad Foster).
Other projects
Munroe is the creator of the websites "BestThing", "The Funniest", "The Cutest", and "The Fairest", each of which presents the user with two options and asks them to choose one over the other.He started the "WetRiffs" website as a joke, one month after drawing the "Rule 34" comic, "lamenting the lack of guitar-in-the-shower pictures on the internet."
LimerickDB encourages the creation of new and the collection of old limerick
Limerick (poetry)
A limerick is a kind of a witty, humorous, or nonsense poem, especially one in five-line or meter with a strict rhyme scheme , which is sometimes obscene with humorous intent. The form can be found in England as of the early years of the 18th century...
s.
Most recently he started a Geohashing wiki based on one of his comics which contains an algorithm
Algorithm
In mathematics and computer science, an algorithm is an effective method expressed as a finite list of well-defined instructions for calculating a function. Algorithms are used for calculation, data processing, and automated reasoning...
that generates pseudo-random coordinates around the world every day.
Aside from maintaining his websites, Munroe also engages in kite photography
Kite aerial photography
Kite aerial photography is a hobby and a type of photography. A camera is lifted using a kite and is triggered either remotely or automatically to take aerial photographs. The camera rigs can range from the extremely simple, consisting of a trigger mechanism with a disposable camera, to complex...
, in which cameras are attached to kites and pictures are then taken of the ground or buildings.
In response to concerns about the radiation released by the Fukushima I nuclear accidents, and to remedy what he described as "confusing" reporting on radiation levels in the media, Munroe created a chart of comparative radiation exposure levels. The chart was rapidly adopted by print and online journalists in several countries, including being linked to by online writers for The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
and The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
. As a result of requests for permission to reprint the chart and to translate it into Japanese, Munroe placed it in the public domain
Public domain
Works are in the public domain if the intellectual property rights have expired, if the intellectual property rights are forfeited, or if they are not covered by intellectual property rights at all...
, but requested that his non-expert status should be clearly stated in any reprinting.
External links
- xkcd – the webcomic's site with links to his web store, forums, and blag (blog)
- Munroe's comparison sites:
- WetRiffs
- LimerickDB
- Geohashing wiki
- xkcd-es – Spanish version of the webcomic
- Randall Munroe talk at Dartmouth
- Randall Munroe talk at Google