Script Image Posted May 27, 2016; Text On Page Last Edited June 22, 2017

The following article is neither to be considered as medical advice nor making any allegation towards a specific individual or group.

With lab screening for steroids in effect, participants of athletic competition have tested clean when later revealed they used variations undetectable by the testing.  A proposed supplementary system takes into account measurable factors based on the side effect, growth of bones in the head and face beyond the biologically occurring expected range.  Noticeable to visual observers a technical approach may apply for the purpose of league sanctions, where entrants opt-in for qualification.  This is not to suggest there is a problem with the way any one’s head may look at a single point in time; we are only worried if there is an otherwise unexplained fluctuation over a given duration.

The procedure uses facial-recognition technology to evaluate images from different angles of the subjects’ cranial region.  After an initial baseline scan, periodic follow-up inspections are made for comparison.  Computer software can assess proportions, contour, surface area, and other variables.  The object is to identify changes in size or structure outside a normal expected range.  When a violation is detected the individual would face suspension until a later exam confirms the rate of growth has returned to normal, along with to standard league penalties.  A more detailed framework is to be established, including to determine an effective limit to the amount of fluctuation that can occur naturally; parameters may vary based on age, body mass ranges, and additional factors.  Also there should be some amount of increase expected when one adds bulk fair & square, otherwise would be out of proportion the other way around.

Another form of testing to consider is for those who have consumed a substance of concern to monitor themselves for effects after the fact.  A female may notice physical features becoming more masculine from intake of testosterone or its variants; conversely the male endocrine system shuts down regular production in response, over time requiring the individual to use greater amounts to maintain original levels after the drugs wear off, leading to an eventual state of gender confusion – such characteristics can also occur in nature from infancy, the concern is active or former steroid users noticing an unexpected shift; also this does not mean the same treatment would be called for in both cases.

Operating a sports page was never intended to encourage involvement with steroid-hormone intake for competition or any other reason, aside from rare medical cases.  Internal organs endure added strain from use of such substances, so reduced function is an indicator to seek prompt medical attention.  If you know some one personally susceptible to such activities, please forward this information to them for review before they proceed.  At younger ages of development long-term impact should be considered more severe.  For any one already affected professional assistance is called for to reduce further harm, following a program to phase out properly as soon as possible, based on symptoms and history of use.  If they have only partaken briefly, there is a chance to avoid noticeable impact if willing to not pursue extended use; expert consultation would still be advised to oversee the phasing-out process, as discontinuing usage outright without scaling back at the correct interval can increase the possibility of long-term effects.

At the top levels of modern athletics, most of the substance usage takes place for the purpose to recover from injuries, under counsel from scientists to manage the risk-tradeoff. Players are often under pressure to meet expectations of the town they represent, along with organized gambling outfits. Our objective is to improve testing to make detection less avoidable, so they will no longer be forced to make these difficult decisions. Generally they were already capable of reaching the higher leagues, then taking these drugs to try and maintain; we need to make sure those in junior divisions do not expect this will give them extra ability they would not have otherwise. Consuming for recovery also applies in other occupations, ranging from public service to entertainment sectors. Our goal to provide more of the full picture to help make an informed decision, not trying to give regrets to anyone already involved. It needs to be remarked an average person can legally purchase products from vitamin or “nutrition” retail outlets, containing substances already banned by sports authorities. Much of the health supplement industry operates outside of the regulatory environment, where items can be sold over-the-counter that have already been flagged by league protocol as harmful, and customers will not have a professional to oversee the risk management. Also there are certain related medical materials, legally approved and casually issued by licensed providers, which are arguably causing worse damage than the substances commonly used in athletics, birth control and abortion industry that is.

References – Updated March 26, 2018

– World Anti-Doping Agency
– Office of Diversion Control – Steroid Abuse in Today’s Society – DOJ
– National Institute on Drug Abuse – Health Consequences of Steroid Abuse – NIDA
– Anabolic Steroid Misuse – NHS Choices
– Treatment of Anabolic-Androgenic Steroid Dependence – NIH
– Star Athletes Rarely Caught Using Steroids in Drug Tests – ABC News
– How World Class Athletes Can Take Drugs and Get Away With It – Daily Mail
– Acromegaly – The Effects of Various Steroid Hormones – NIH
– Acromegaly – What is Acromegaly? – NIH
– International Society of Craniofacial Surgery
– The American Society for Craniofacial Surgery
– This Is What Happens to You on Steroids – Esquire
– Steroids Linked to Cancer, Self Harm, Birth Defects – ABC News
– Cardiac Effects of Anabolic Steroids – BMJ
– Anabolic Steroids Increase Risk for Heart Disease in Young and Middle-Aged Men – ACC
– Anabolic Steroid Use Linked to Severe Cardiac Dysfunction – ESC
– FDA Cautions About Using Testosterone Products for Low Testosterone Due to Aging
– FDA Warns About Blood Clot Risk with Testosterone Products – Harvard Health Publishing
– Bio-Identicals: Sorting Myths from Facts – FDA
– Hormone Replacement Therapy and Breast Cancer: Heterogeneous Risks By Race, Weight, and Breast Density – NIH
– Androgenic Anabolic Steroid Use and Severe Hypothalamic-Pituitary Dysfunction – NIH
– Anabolic-Androgenic Steroid Dependence: An Emerging Disorder – NIH
– Synthetic Testosterone Seemed Like a Good Idea – NY Times
– Research Report Series: Anabolic Steroid Abuse – EHD
– Primary Care Protocol for Transgender Patient Care: Hormone Administration – UCSF
– Ohio University LGBT Center – Transitioning
– Practical Guidelines for Transgender Hormone Treatment – BUMC
– Feminising Hormone Information – The Gender Centre
– Facial Feminization and the Theory of Facial Sex Difference: The Medical Transformation of Elective Intervention to Necessary Repair – JHU 
– Publications – Society for Endocrinology
– Journal of Endocrinology – Archive of Issues by Date
– Journal of Endocrinology and Metabolism – Archives
– Oral Contraceptive Pill May Prevent More Than Pregnancy: Could Cause Long-term Problems With Testosterone – Science Daily
– Comparison of Androgens in Women With Hypoactive Sexual Desire Disorder: Those On Combined Oral Contraceptives (COCs) Vs. Those Not On COCs – NIH
– Impact of Oral Contraceptives on Sex Hormone-Binding Globulin and Androgen Levels: A Retrospective Study in Women with Sexual Dysfunction – NIH
– Sexual Dysfunction After a First Trimester Induced Abortion in a Chinese Population – Science Direct
– Thrombotic Stroke and Myocardial Infarction with Hormonal Contraception – NEJM
– International Agency for Research on Cancer Monographs Programme Finds Combined Estrogen-Progestogen Contraceptives and Menopausal Therapy Are Carcinogenic To Humans
– Oral Contraceptive Use as a Risk Factor for Premenopausal Breast Cancer – Mayo Clinic
– Recent Oral Contraceptive Use by Formulation and Breast Cancer Risk among Women 20 to 49 Years of Age – AACR Journals
– Can Oral Contraceptives Cause An Abortion? – Columbia University
– Contraceptives Versus Abortifacients – NIH
– The FDA Adopts the Abortion Industry Standards for the Mifeprex (RU-486) Abortion Regimen – FRC
– Possible Physical Side Effects After Abortion – American Pregnancy Association

Script Image Posted December 31, 2014; Text On Page Last Edited October 27, 2016:

Joining a fitness center is a luxury many cannot afford.  Our preference is to set up a gym where membership pays for itself, and patrons can receive cash back for participation.  Currently customers exercise and expend energy, which mostly ends up going to waste, whereas instead their activities could be harnessed towards the production of electricity.  Energy companies offer payouts for households which contribute power back to the “grid,” such as from wind generators on one’s property; this principal is to be further evaluated for applications with fitness instruments.

In terms of payments gym members could carry an ID to scan before using certain equipment, so energy production gets credited towards their account, applied to the cost of membership, with direct monetary compensation for anything extra.  Facility ownership skims off a percentage to cover expenses / investment, and the supplemented electricity helps power the facilities.

Force is required to operate electric generators, which basically involves rotating a wheel.  Typical power plants are designed to boil water, steam from which spins a fan connected to the generator in question; for our purpose mechanical / physical energy turns the generator directly.  The objective is improving current technology to enhance leverage for the amount of work from each exercise, using the principles of “simple machines,” i.e., wedge, pulley, inclined plane, lever / fulcrum.  The optimum apparatus or combination thereof will vary, based on the nature of different exercise equipment; weightlifting machines would be utilized differently from stationary bikes, stair-climbers, elliptical, and so forth.  As a more practical approach alternative options need to be developed and made readily available, for instance the notion of a human-sized “hamster wheel” and other mechanisms where users put their full bodyweight into the process, such as repeatedly climbing up a flight of stairs and driving all their weight into pulling a “lever” on the way down, employing the force of gravity.

Image Captions:
– Gym / FItness Equipment
– Gears for Different Weight Classes Maximize Leverage and Ensure a Moderate Descent; Releases and Resets Position Up Top When the User Lets Go
– Barriers Block Electromagnetic Radiation from the Generator
– Padding Offers Landing Protection for Up To a Few Stories’ Fall, in the Event of Malfunction / User Error
– Alternate Options:- Putting a Wheelbarrow Full of Weights Up a Hill / Ramp Onto a Platform
– Swimming Pool Landing Area / Parachute / Bungee, Instead of Regular Mats / Padding, Increasing the Number of Floors’ Distance Possible, Based on Enhanced Safety
– Pulley Mechanism (Raises Back Up when Released)
– Energy Being “Charged Up,” Similar Design to that of a “Windup Toy”

Further assistance is requested from engineers / scientists in developing methods to “amplify” energy transferred from an individual’s exertion on such apparatuses to the generator itself.  Instead of “spinning the wheel” directly, some options may combine efforts across multiple machines, perhaps shifting quantities of water for hydroelectric energy or air compression operating a turbine.  Any contributors to design and test a range of such applications, preferably open source, would be much appreciated.  Equipment in question shall be also made available for home use, for household incentive payments and to have on hand as an emergency backup.  Eventually such technology can hopefully provide a basic electricity source for less developed world regions.

Proposed modification to Fitness program for some one’s car parked at the gym or elsewhere:

Image Captions:
– Potential Modification for Proposed “Fitness Equipment” (Not Drawn to Scale)
– Force of Gravity on Weight of Car Used to Pull Lever Until Pivot Point of Equilibrium, Before Which Shifts to Parked Position / Brake for Apparatus to Reset
– Point of Connection Slides Down As Lever is Pulled, for Vehicle to Remain Stationary; Vehicle Itself Does Not Move, Just Harnessing Mechanical Energy of Its Weight + Wheels for Conversion to Electricity
– Parking Gear May Involve Shifting Point of Connection to a Stable Wall / Post, Heavy Enough to Hold in Place
– Not Necessarily Required to Use a Car, for Instance a Trailer Could be Up-Scaled to Hold Larger Mass
– Hill / Ridge Facing the Opposite Direction, to Prevent Damage in Case the Mechanism Becomes Disengaged

Continued from previous image – taking electricity out of the equation:

Image Captions:
– Non-Electrical Applications for Modified Fitness Equipment
– Vehicle on Incline to Harness Mechanical Energy, Attaching Directly to Apparatus in Place of Electric Generator
– Water Pump, Reverse Osmosis, Desalination
– Agriculture Harvest, Mill
– Quarry, Rock Smasher
– Conveyor Belt, Lift
– Air Compressor, Fan

Alternate Option(s) for the Braking Mechanism

Image Captions:
– Based on the Concept of Capturing Physical Energy to Generate Electricity, Seen with Some Exercise Devices (e.g., Pedaling a Bicycle to Operate a Lightbulb)
– A Vehicle on an Inclined Plane is Exerting Force onto Wherever Connected / Tied. Concept is to Keep Stationary through Both Stages: Harnessing its Leverage, Then Braking to Reset the Gear
– CLAMPS Could Be Used to Hold Wheels in Place for Parking Phase, Coordinated to Close when Above Apparatus Reaches Pivot Point of Equilibrium Previously Discussed
– Stand / Holster to Help Lock-In at Proper Timing Intervals

Before any further progress is made, it needs to be noted electricity generators give off electromagnetic radiation, which is considered harmful to the health of any one in range.  Before installation every one must ensure users will be shielded from all such hazards, including sufficient barriers / grounding, confirmed by testing via Gauss Meter.  If possible the distance between individuals and the generator should be far enough away from hazard range, so the person’s work takes place where electric fields are out of the picture.  If any one could develop open source blueprints for one or more phases of the process, we thank you greatly in advance.

References:

– Free Gym Where Only Charge is Electric
– Human Powered Gyms Make Watts from Your Workout
– In the Gym: Clean Energy from Muscle Power
– Texas State Unveils ‘Calories to Kilowatts’
– Self-Powering Gym Uses Energy from Your Workout to Keep the Lights On
– Energy Floors – Sustainable Dance Floor
– Dancefloor Generates Electricity at London’s First Eco-Disco
– Power-Generating Dance Floor Hits UK Club
– Bike Powered Electricity Generators are Not Sustainable
– 6 Simple Machines: Making Work Easier
– Simple Machines: The Science of Levers, Wheels, Gears, Pulleys
– Simple Machine – Wikipedia
– Mechanical Amplifier – Wikipedia
– Physics Stack Exchange – How Do Levers Amplify Forces?
– The Physics Classroom – Free Fall and Air Resistance
– Light and Matter – Acceleration and Free Fall
– Hamster-Wheel Standing Desk: Embrace the Rodent Race
– How Do Power Plants Work?
– The Energy Story – Turbines, Generators and Power Plants
– Turbine Generator – TurbineGenerator
– Hydroelectric Power – How it Works
– Department of Energy – How Do Wind Turbines Work?
– Cape Cod Town Residents Claim to be Hit by ‘Wind Turbine Syndrome’
– ‘Wind Turbine Syndrome’ Blamed for Mysterious Symptoms in Cape Cod Town
– Wind Turbine Syndrome and Vibroacoustic Disease – Wind Wise Massachusetts
– NIH – Electric & Magnetic Fields
– Q & A About EMF Electric and Magnetic Fields
– What Are the Health Risks of Living Near an Electric Substation?
– What is a Gauss Meter?
– Best Hand Crank / Solar Lantern Available?

Script Image Posted September 23, 2014; Text on Page Last Updated December 24, 2015:

Thank you for participating in golf.  With rising costs to maintain courses, fewer individuals can afford to practice on a consistent basis, and only professionals can take home the million dollar cash prize.  Our approach is to give more players access to the jackpot aspect, along with other alternatives – this calls for combining traditional elements of the sport with pinball, shooting gallery, mini-golf, casino, and carnival / arcade games.

To build a golf course in this fashion requires an area roughly the size of a practice / driving range, and current facilities could be retrofitted with the adjustments to be discussed henceforth.  This course contains however many holes the designer would prefer, some of which the ball funnels into easily from a given radius, whereas with others the hole is situated on a steep incline for higher difficulty.  Also, there needs to be an “out of bounds” lane, which any shots not ending up in a goal funnel into, similar to a “gutter ball” in bowling.  Wherever each ball goes, the score is recorded with an automated counter, similar to the way coins are tallied by machines; it is tabulated based on which hole the ball went through, on the way back to a central ball repository, such as with the apparatus used at the 18th hole in mini-golf.  In other words a series of tubes transports each ball and adds up the score.

From this foundation the object of the game can be modified in different modes:

JACKPOT MODE – In order to take home the million dollar cash prize a player must hit his or her ball into a hole location very challenging and unlikely to connect.  Players pay a fixed price for each attempt, similar to a slot machine, and the jackpot rises after each ball; the million dollar estimate may end up less or more in practice, based on how frequently the goal is achieved.  In terms of potential variations:
– Jackpot hole being available at all times vs. only every so often, as with pinball, needing to hit a sequence of targets to unlock the goal, with limited time before progress is reset.
– Smaller payouts for hitting intermediate objectives (instead of just one main jackpot), where each missed ball adds to the prize pool in different sections, based on where it lands, certain areas being more difficult / valuable.
– Every one on the course operating as an individual vs. players splitting the prize pool – for solo scoring keep track of who wins via colored ball and / or camera to trace shot trajectories, giving customers the option to obtain a copy of the video as a souvenir.

COMPETITION MODE – The object of the game is to outscore your opponent(s) – i.e., tournament format, with prize payouts for finishing on the leader board, etc.  Potential variations / mods (some can be used in combination, whereas others are mutually exclusive):
– Players get a certain number of shots to hit as many targets as possible, earning a score based on difficulty of the goals vs. who completes all holes with the least number of shots needed.
– Individual scoring vs. teams; also whether teammates all play the course simultaneously with competitors, where shots cancel each other out, etc.
– Goals open for a limited time after hitting certain targets, along with score “multipliers.”
– Capturing “zones” by hitting the ball into a certain area, claiming that zone until an opponent lands there to reclaim for themselves (points awarded for each zone you have in your team’s possession per round, for instance).
– Battle / attack mode – targeting opponents’ fortress, ship, etc. – i.e., target destroyed after enough hits, vs. having to hit all specific points of the target.
– Shooting gallery – targets approach gradually, and you need to hit them before they get too close, more points the further out you connect – set time limit vs. which team can withstand the longest.
– For smaller / enclosed spaces, in the event a regulation course is not feasible – targets potentially projected onto a wall / ceiling screen, incl. moving targets, w/ laser shot tracking technology.

Course design details:

– Designers are encouraged to add visual / audio dynamics, including potential themes such as dinosaurs / prehistoric, outer space / aliens, insects / gardening, pirates / nautical, haunted house / zombies, brand-name sponsors, incl. well known cartoons / cinema film franchise licensing.
– Lighting / sound effects to go along with the action, incl. screen displays for score / objectives.
– Targets / holes in some cases may be moving or opened / closed at different intervals.
– Not all holes are necessarily on ground level, incl. elevated platforms, multi-tiered greens, aerial targets, etc.
– Obstacles, such as a windmill, clock tower, animatronics (i.e., robotic animals eat the ball / knock it away), “ball captured” mechanism, incl. mole / gophers.
– No set size specifications, though each course should be built considering the how far average drives would travel at maximum, unless there is a planned “downhill” slope built in.  Jackpots need not be the furthest out to be challenging.  Different tee off points to accommodate junior/ senior / female players, accounting for respective driving distances; note – this will require careful shielding of any one in front of longer range players, similar to a baseball / batting cage, except with more narrow gaps.

You are welcome to submit additional modifications via one of our available outlets.  One notion is for modes outlined above to also be applied with equipment-types from other forms of the sport, with respective adjustments to dimensions and distance:
– Disc Golf (Flying Disc Sport)
– Footgolf (Soccer Ball from Traditional International Football)
– American Tackle Football (Punt, Pass, & Kick Contest)
– Tennis (Ball & Racquet Games)
– Basketball (Skill Shot Challenge)
– Target Shooting Gallery (Firearm / Rifle Range)

Calculations are requested to perform break-even analysis for such operations, for instance to determine the prize pool given price ranges, difficulty of the “jackpot,” operating expenses, etc..  In terms of the surface artificial turf would suffice for target / landing areas, though players should have the option to hit off natural grass, if possible.

Jurisdictions may prohibit cash payouts if they consider this a form of gambling.  Pinball houses have gotten around this by giving out gold, which winners take next door to exchange for currency (additional security needed).  Potentially regulators could consider having proceeds go to an “education lottery” fund, as states tend to allow gambling in that context.  Preferably expenses will be balanced out in that revenue covers just enough to sustain the operation / workers, so the highest percentage possible can be paid out to players.

References (Last Updated November 10, 2019):

– USGA – United States Golf Association
– PGA – Professional Golfers’ Association
– International Golf Federation – History of Golf
– USGA Museum – Golf History FAQ
– PGA – Golf Instruction and Lessons
– Golf Academy – Instruction
– Golf Instruction Videos, Tips from Golf Magazine’s Top 100 Teachers
– Golf Digest – Golf Instruction
– Kids Health – Safety Tips: Golf
– American Society of Golf Course Architects – Course Design
– USGA – Building and Maintaining the Truly Affordable Golf Course
– Building Golf Courses in China – An Illegal and Booming Industry – Business Week
– Topgolf Tour
– World Minigolf Sport Federation
– History of Miniature Golf – Bearings
– Build a Miniature Golf Course in Your Backyard – Boys’ Life
– How to Build a Miniature Golf Course – This Old House
– National Building Museum’s Mini-Golf Course – Harder Than It Looks – ASLA
– Patent US5758992 – Golf Ball Elevator
– Patent US5632687 – Golf Ball Dispensing Apparatus
– Patent US6398662 – Moving Practice Green and Ball Pickup Apparatus
– Patent US5980391 – Ball Lift Assembly for Ball Return System of a Bowling Alley
– Internet Pinball Database
– International Flipper Pinball Association
– The Professional & Amateur Pinball Association
– The History of Pinball Machines and Pintables – BMI Gaming
– Pinball History – Pennyarcade
– Made How – Pinball
– 11 Things You Didn’t Know About Pinball History – Popular Mechanics
– The Mayor Who Took a Sledgehammer to NYC’s Pinball Machines – The Atlantic
– Oakland Finally Un-Banning Pinball – Time
– The Campaign to Destroy Pinball – Pacific Pinball
– Pachinko Planet – What is Pachinko?
– Pachinko Gateway
– Electronics Manual for Vintage Pachinko Machines
– Taxing Times for Pachinko as Japan Considers Casino Gamble – Reuters
– How Japan Casinos Could Save $187 Billion Pinball Pastime – Bloomberg
– Japan: Official Resigns Over Postquake Pinball – NY Times
– The Hole Story: A History of Skee-Ball – Mental Floss
– The Puttskee
– Redemption Games – Primetime Amusements
– Carnival Depot – Carnival Games
– Scam Alert – 7 Rigged Carnival Games – AARP
– Carnival Games You Should Play (or Skip) – MSN
– Man Loses Life Savings Playing Carnival Game, Wins Giant Banana – Time
– Massachusetts Council on Compulsive Gambling
– National Center for Responsible Gaming
– American Gaming Association
– History of Gambling in the United States – California State Library
– Casino Operations Management – Gambling Info
– Authority to License – Washington State Office of the Attorney General
– Legalized Games of Chance – New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs
– About Golf – What is a Hole-in-One Contest?
– The Price is Right – Hole In One (Or Two)
– John Daly Makes a Hole-in-One, Wins a Car – PGA
– Seinfeld the Marine Biologist – Variety
– Mitch Hedberg: Fore! – Comedy Central Stand-Up
– Range War: A Day in the Life of a Picker – Weekly Alibi
– American Dad – Stan of Arabia – Fun Trivia
– Caddyshack – Warner Bros.
– Happy Gilmore – Universal Pictures
– Kirby’s Dream Course – Nintendo
– Worms Crazy Golf – Team 17
– Peggle – Popcap Games
– Labyrinth – Brio
– Boules Sport