Rodney Ruff
Rodney Ruff
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Ken Jennings may have won over $2 million, but I am the Man of Trivia!
Male
50 years old
OMAHA, Nebraska
United States
Last Login: 7/13/2009
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Rodney Ruff's Interests
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Writing: Technical (help files, user manuals, procedures), science fiction, non-fiction, how-to and information articles, business guides, essays, reviews, filksongs/song parodies.
Computers: Chiefly as related to my writing and creative pursuits, including a budding interest in digital imaging/photography.
Games: Board games such as Trivial Pursuit, Scrabble, chess, and Settlers of Catan; card games such as UNO, The Great Dalmuti, Boomtown, and Chrononauts; and role-playing games such as Champions (HERO System). I also enjoy creating variant rules for games, such as Dealer's Choice UNO and Dungeons & Monopoly.
Science fiction fandom: I've been active in science fiction fandom since attending my first convention in 1984, from whence derives my nickname of "The Man of Trivia." Through fandom, I have made friends around the country, many of whom I see only at the cons I attend. I'm currently a member of the Omaha Science Fiction Education Society, whose logo I designed, and am involved with Nuke-Con. I also have many friends in the Des Moines Science Fiction Society.
Astronomy: I've been interested in this since childhood and once wanted to be an astronomer. I'm fascinated by the discovery of extrasolar planets as well as the exploration of our own solar system.
Genealogy: I've been working for the past few years on the family histories of my mother's and father's family lines. I know the names of all my great-grandparents and several of my great-great-grandparents and can trace my lineage through my paternal grandmother back to 16th century southern Germany.
Trivia: Blessed with a near-eidetic memory, I remember facts about many different things.
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Country: Includes Johnny Cash, Buck Owens, Roger Miller, Bobby Bare, Jerry Reed, Travis Tritt, Merle Haggard, Loretta Lynn, Dolly Parton, Eddy Arnold, Hank Williams, Hank Williams Jr., Johnny Horton, and Waylon Jennings, among others.
Rock: In high school, I was a big Elvis fan, although not so much today. Today, I go for mostly oldies acts of the 1950s-60s, but also some classic rock, light rock, and disco.
Jazz: Mainly big-band acts like Glenn Miller and Benny Goodman, but also other forms when I get the chance to listen to them.
Celtic/Madrigal: Mostly groups I've seen play at the Renaissance fairs I've attended, such as Orckes and Trolles and Vagabond.
Filk/Novelty: Spike Jones, Allan Sherman, Tom Lehrer, "Weird Al" Yankovic, Ray Stevens, Homer & Jethro, Pinkard & Bowden, Sheb Wooley/Ben Colder, Cledus T. Judd, Tom Smith, the great Luke Ski, Michael Longcor, Renee Alper, Eric Coleman, et. al.
I love any song that makes me think or laugh. If I love it enough, I'll filk it! And if I can't stand it, I'll filk it!
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Science fiction: The Star Trek and Star Wars movies, as well as classic (not gory) monster movies and movie adaptations of my favorite comic-book characters. I also love old-time movie serials.
Comedy: Classic comedy teams like Laurel and Hardy, Abbott and Costello, the Marx Brothers, Ma and Pa Kettle, and the Three Stooges; as well as the Zucker Brothers films (e.g., Airplane!).
I seldom see movies more than once, because there's too much out there, but I will see the comedies described above, as well as the James Bond movies, again and again. | | Television | ..
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Science fiction: Star Trek, Stargate, Farscape, Heroes, Doctor Who. I would watch more, but I don't presently have cable, so I can't get the SciFi Channel.
Game shows: Jeopardy!, Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?, 1 vs 100, Are You Smarter Than A Fifth Grader?. Basically, I like any game show that requires its contestants to know something going in; there aren't enough of those these days.
Comedies: The siller, the better. I was fond of Get Smart, Sledge Hammer!, and The Charmings and have become a fan of Family Guy.
I also enjoy some public television programs, those that deal in science or history, and Saturday morning cartoons if they feature classic characters or superheroes.
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Science fiction: My favorite author is Isaac Asimov, but my favorite book is Pilgrimage by Zenna Henderson. I also enjoy the works of Gregory Benford, David Brin, C.J. Cherryh, Joe Haldeman, Robert Heinlein, Frank Herbert, James Hogan, and others.
I'm also a lifelong fan of superhero and science fiction comic books, mostly by DC Comics, although I also enjoy works by Marvel and the independents.
Nonfiction: Biographies/autobiographies of people whose work I've admired over the years, such as Johnny Cash and Betty White.
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Historical: Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson for being multi-talents.
Biblical: King David and the apostle Paul.
Game show hosts: Art Fleming, Allen Ludden, Bill Cullen, Tom Kennedy. (One name has been dropped from this list due to his treatment of someone else I happen to like a great deal.)
Superheroes: Superman, Batman, Flash, and Green Lantern, among others.
Family: My great-uncles Ernest "Blondy" Ruff and Henry Niemann, both of whom did a lot of things in their lives.
Other people I admire/want to emulate: DeForest Kelley, Henry Cannon (Minnie Pearl's husband), Carlos De Abreu, all selfless people who want(ed) to build others up, not tear others down. (Of course, many of my friends here who've been my friends before MySpace are the same.)
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Rodney Ruff's Details
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| Status: | Single | | Here for: | Networking, Friends | | Orientation: | Straight | | Hometown: | Omaha | | Body type: | 6' 0" | | Ethnicity: | White / Caucasian | | Zodiac Sign: | Libra | | Smoke / Drink: | No / No | | Education: | College graduate | | Occupation: | Technical Writer |
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Rodney Ruff's Networking
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Publishing - Writer - Non-fiction
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History, biography, essays, advertising/marketing copy - basically anything that draws on my interests and talents
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Rodney Ruff's Companies
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infoUSA, Inc.
Omaha, NE US
Technical Writer/Help File Author
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11/93-4/20/04, 10/06-12/07
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Summitsoft Corporation
Omaha, NE US
Technical Writer (Contractor)
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12/04-7/06, 10/07-present
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Election Systems and Software, Inc.
Omaha, NE US
Technical Writer (Contractor)
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7/05-10/05
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Writers Research Group
Oklahoma City, OK US
Freelance Writer
How-to and informational articles and business guides
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7/07-present
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Adesta, LLC
Omaha, NE US
Proposal Editor
Project Development
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11/07-12/07
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Rodney Ruff's Latest Blog Entry
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Revenge is sweet - or is it?
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Meeting Denise Crosby
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She likes me! She really likes me! She must, anyway...
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DemiCon
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Who my friends are
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Rodney Ruff's Blurbs |
About me:
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I'm a self-described "shameless self-promoter" and "legend in my own mind." My ultimate goal in life is to be the next Steve Allen, not to have done the things he did, but to be noted for having as diverse a set of accomplishments as he had. My own set of accomplishments, however minor, is given below:
Eleven years' experience as a technical writer of over 50 help files and user manuals, as well as over 100 how-to and technical articles and 30 business guides. My writing style has been described by one of the editors I've worked with as "unique and authoritative."
Co-creator of resume creator/job search software application Resume Plus, along with Bruce Lowry, the person who brought the Nintendo Entertainment System to America.
Contributor to two board games, Clever Endeavor (included in a game bundle once given away on The Price Is Right) and Trivia Omaha.
Published author of three role-playing game articles, two Mensa Bulletin articles, and six fanfics, as well as online book and movie reviews. Have also written over 300 filksongs/song parodies.
Winner of over 60 radio trivia call-in contests, and have taken part in or put on numerous trivia contests. Qualified to be a contestant on Jeopardy! in 2000, but did not get to appear on the show.
Fan guest of honor at the science fiction convention WillyCon in 2005.
Won Mattel's 35th Anniversary UNO House Rules Contest in 2006, for which my image was rendered in a portrait by the animators of Family Guy.
I am now working on my first filk album and am looking to take my writing, in all areas that interest me, to the next level.
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Who I'd like to meet:
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I'd like to meet several kinds of people here:
1) People whose work I have admired over the years so that I can tell them so before either they or I kick the bucket.
2) People who can help me achieve my goals, through their experience, talents, and/or connections.
3) People who share my interests or are looking to share them, so that I can share my experiences with them.
4) People who have interests I'm looking to get into, so that I can learn from them.
In short, I want to have a group of friends as diverse as my interests.
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| Rodney Ruff's Friend Space (Top 40) |
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Rodney Ruff has 175 friends.
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