Make your own Weight Gainer

Many people often ask me for recommendations on supplements and I'm often asked to recommend a protein shake or weight gainer.  Typically a beginner won't know the difference between the two and this is why there are ridiculous products on the market such as Russian Bear 5000 on the market.  For those who are unaware, Russian Bear 5000 is a weight gainer protein shake formula that advertises having 5000 calories per serving but the directions instruct that you drink it with an entire gallon of milk and there are 3 servings per container.

Most weight gainer products on the market are advertised and sold this way because of naivety on the part of the buyer.  A common weight gaining product such as Muscle Juice is a good example.  It is generally composed of cheap whey protein concentrate (high in fats and sugars), a large amount of high GI carbs from corn sugar such as dextrose or maltodextrin and the cheap gimmicky fat MCT (medium chain triglycerides).  These cheap ingredients all give added calories to the mix and make it look impressive on the label.  The problem is that these are mostly empty calories and simply don't add weight on like real food or a superior protein MRP (meal replacement powder) would.  Because of the high GI carbs included in these formulas, an insulin spike is produced, which would be ideal post workout, but when consumed throughout the day can begin to start insulin sensitivity issues and fat storage.  When you look at it from this point of view, combined with gainers are usually more expensive, you start to understand why they shouldn't be used.

Whey protein concentrate (WPC), although a decent source of protein, is not ideal for everyone.  As I mentioned, it is very high in fats and sugars, especially lactose, and for anyone who has trouble with dairy, that is a problem.  Oh the other hand, it does have some microfactions that are good for the immune system.  Will Brink does a good job of explaining the differences in his article The Whey it is.

The next problematic ingredient we commonly find in weight gainers is maltodextrin.  Although it is classified as a complex carb, it does not act this way in the body.  Again, consuming maltodextrin around the workout window (before/during/after) would be suitable because it a high GI carb, but all throughout the day as recommended by using a weight gainer product can lead to insulin sensitivity and unwanted fat storage.

The last common ingredient is MCTs as a source of fat.  Although MCTs were once generally touted as being beneficial because they were used as an energy source, they have been almost entirely debunked.  When combining MCTs as a fat with a high GI carbohydrate it is almost certainly going to end up being stored as fat and not used.  A much better source would be from a good fat that is high in omega 3s and 9s like olive, flax, or fish oil.

A much better method is to simply blend up your own healthy gainer which quality ingredients you pick that give you more better calories overall and is still within anyones budget.

Pogue's Shake Receipe

This is my own personal shake recipe that I use all the time.  It tastes great and you can tweak it yourself based on your own personal tastes and add/subtract calories as needed.  Mix the following into a blender for a rich smoothie:

• 3 cups of ice
• 1 cup of 2% milk (122 cals, 5g fat, 11g carbs, 8g protein)
• 1 banana (105 cals, 0g fat, 27g carbs, 1g protein)
• 2 cups of frozen strawberries (92 cals, 1g fat, 22g carbs, 2g protein)
• 1 cup of fat free plain yogurt (70 cals, 0g fat, 14g carbs, 4g protein)
• 2 tblspoons of Naturally More peanut butter (169 cals, 11g fat, 8g carbs, 10g protein)
• 1 tblspoon of olive oil (119 cals, 13g fat, 0 carbs, 0 protein)
• 1 teaspoon of creatine
• 1 scoop of Gaspari Myofusion (147 cals, 3g fat, 5g carbs, 25g protein)

That comes to a total of 814 calories, 33g of fat, 82g of carbs, and 50g of protein.  That is great for a weight gainer and includes good carbs and good fats.  Note that the numbers come from About.com's Calorie Count.  Obviously you can substitute Myofusion for the protein powder of your choice, including plain protein powder with no additives.  I choose Myofusion because it tastes good and Gaspari was nice enough to send me a free sample awhile back.  My other preference for protein is Optimum 100% Egg Protein.  Because I'm lactose intolerant and prefer non-dairy sources of protein, but although Myofusion does have WPC in it, they include lactase enzymes for digestion, so there is no problem.  I use Naturally More brand peanut butter which includes extra protein from flax seeds and contains good healthy fats along with fiber.  Obviously the creatine is optional, but if you are a trying to gain weight, it is highly beneficial and bulk powder is very cheap and blends easily. I use Cheap Supplements Creatine Monohydrate.

Recommended Articles:

• How much protein do you really need?
• Sports Supplements Guide for Beginners

Review: Pro Oats - High Protein Oatmeal

There's a very interesting new high protein oatmeal supplement on the market called Pro Oats that I was recently invited to try and give my review on.

Pro Oats are high grain rolled instant oats packaged in a multiple serving pack.  The manufacturers have added high grade whey protein isolate (WPI) to the oatmeal to give it added protein which gives it a total of 12g of protein per serving.  For comparison, looking at plain Quaker Instant Oats (I'll be using this comparison for the rest of the review),  has around 4g of protein per serving.  They've also added dried fruit for several varieties of flavors, including apple pie, peach, cherry and blueberry.  I tried the blueberry flavor.

The taste is on par with your average unflavored oatmeal, with the exception of the fruit which has added sugar to bring out the flavor.  You can also distinctly taste the WPI texture in the oats, but it's not unpleasant.  Although the blueberries are sweetened with sugar, I found the regular taste of the oats to be somewhat bland and added some Splenda to the rest of the oats compensate.  The carbohydrate (37g) and sugars (9g) are a bit higher than what I would like to see in a high protein oatmeal if the market is for bodybuilders/weight lifters or general fitness related people -- although the added carbs could be advantageous for an endurance athlete.  But, on the plus side, it also has a little bit higher amount of fiber (5g) than Quaker (3g).

All in all, I feel the flavoring of the product could be improved somewhat.  With the added sugar, I would have expected the product to be much sweeter, but you really only get a taste of flavor with the added fruit -- the rest of the oatmeal is completely unflavored.  My personal preference would also to use an artificial sweetener or stevia in place of the sucrose sugar since you're already going to be getting a good amount of low GI carbs from the oats themselves.  However, I like the idea of a high protein product and I hope that once the product starts making it to the retail market, Pro Oats will be able to be sold in larger packages and become more affordable.  A pack of 7 servings of Pro Oats currently sells for $7 on their website.

So, give Pro Oats a try and feel free to post your comments here of what you think.  Big thanks to Max Cascone @ Pro Oats for the samples!

How much protein do you really need?

The question most often asked by anyone started or involved in weight training is how much protein does a person need to consume per day, per meal, per hour, per serving, before bed, and so forth to increase muscle mass.  The answer usually devolves into a spouting of common broscience knowledge about how much protein can be absorbed at a time or that too much protein gets converted to fat and other rubbish.

In order to induce muscle hypertrophy (growth) an increased amount of amino acids needs to be consumed to increase and maintain protein synthesis and positive nitrogen balance.  This is plain to understand and most people know this.  But the real question boils down to exactly how much protein does a person really need to get to that level?  Although there are various factors involved, including whether or not the person is weight training and looking to add new muscle tissue, that individuals weight, and the type of protein being consumed, you are likely to get a straightforward answer in the amount of a certain number of grams -- depending on who you ask.

Supplement manufacturers often tout the claim that you need 1-2g of protein per pound of bodyweight daily in order to grow.  But is this really a realistic number and how did they come to this conclusion?  The truth is this is actually a serious exaggeration when looking at the scientific evidence, although it is somewhat lacking when looking at heavy weight training males who workout using a serious bodybuilding/mass building routine.  Nonetheless, these results can still be interpolated for the average person and we can probably all afford to bring our protein consumption down to a more realistic level.

A recent LA Times piece quoted bodybuilding.com moderator and all around nutrition guru Alan Aragon with some good realistic numbers on the quantities of protein a person should be consuming for steady growth.

Aragon deals with more ambitious populations. For new weightlifters aiming to both lose fat and build muscle, he recommends 1.7 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight per day. Those focused merely on adding muscle need only 1.4 grams, he says. [1]

A 180lb person would equate to 82kg so that would average out to 139g of protein per day for that person looking to build muscle.  Of course, most of the protein in a persons diet should be coming from whole food sources, and not protein supplements.  As Alan points out, protein shakes are more a matter of convenience.  It can be hard to consume that amount of protein per day from whole food sources, so powdered whey, milk, eggs or soy make it much easier to supplement additional protein into the diet.  This is especially true when a typically bodybuilder/weightlifter diet is composed around eating meals every 2-3 hours.

In a paper published by The Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition (JISSN), they go even further on the topic.

Protein Requirements for Resistance Trained Athletes

In a recent Meta Analysis on protein requirements Rand et al. defined the protein requirement in healthy adults as "the continuing intake of dietary protein that is sufficient to achieve body nitrogen equilibrium (zero balance) in an initially healthy person of acceptable body composition at energy balance and under conditions of moderate physical activity..." An individual's protein needs are assumed to have been met when the amount of nitrogen consumed is equal to the amount of nitrogen excreted or lost (zero nitrogen balance). In the occurrence that the amount of nitrogen consumed exceeds the amount of nitrogen lost then the individual is in a state of positive nitrogen balance, and is generally assumed to be in an anabolic state. Conversely when the amount of nitrogen excreted exceeds the amount of nitrogen consumed, the individual has entered into negative nitrogen balance, and is assumed to be in a state of net bodily protein loss (catabolic state). Based on this definition, the Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA), meant to suffice for 97.5% of the population is 0.8 grams of protein per kilogram of bodyweight. However, strength training athletes generally consume a great deal more than the RDA, with the rationale that their protein requirements exceed that of the general population. Therefore, a number of studies have examined athletes' protein requirements based on the nitrogen balance technique. [Italics added] [2]

The paper goes on to review a number of studies looking at protein intake in a variety of individuals, but noting specifically that those who are doing extensive bodybuilding and/or weight training will still more than likely need to exceed protein intakes of the average individual because of their need to increase muscle hypertrophy beyond standard levels. They also compare rates of digestion of different types of protein (fast vs. slow) and optimal protein timing, which can all get very confusing and bog down the average weight trainer who wants to skip the theoretical and get down to the nuts and bolts.  For those people, I encourage them to read Will Brink's article, The Religion of Pre and Post Workout Nutrition.

JISSN also includes a practical applications table of protein and amino acid consumption and supplementation at the conclusion of their article which can help shed some light on their conclusions.  I have reproduced the table below.  Interestingly, they recommend the consumption of essential amino acids (EAAs) in the place of a full source protein in many cases.

Variable of Interest	Practical Applications
Pattern of Digestion	Alternate normal meals with fast digesting sources of protein or EAAs.
Rate of Digestion	Protein balance is greater with slow proteins with no additional energy; however, when combined with a source of energy, whey protein produces A greater protein balance than casein combined with a source of energy.
Timing of Protein Ingestion	Consume EAAs or fast digesting protein prior to and immediately following exercise.
Protein Quality	An omnivorous diet appears to be optimal for fat free mass and indexes of performance, while supplementing with EAAs may enhance protein accretion along with normal protein feedings.
Amount per serving	Unsure, but Dangin et al. found an increase in protein synthesis from 23 to 33 grams of whey protein. This may be near the limit as 40 grams of EAAs did not increase MPS in comparison to 20 grams of EAAs.
Energy Source combined with Protein	Both carbohydrates and fats appear to spare protein equally. However, carbohydrates are still critical for maintaining intensity during resistance training.

The amount of protein that can be adequately consumed and digested in one sitting appears to be around the 30g mark and Will Brink makes the argument that it really doesn't matter, because as he says "You've gotta eat something."

The Counter Argument


In his anti-supplement book, Muscle, Speed, & Lies, author David Lightsey makes the case that none of these figures our accurate and the actual amount of protein necessary to be consumed daily -- even by weight training individuals is very low.  The text below is quoted from Chapter 5 "Protein and Muscle Mass: How much is Enough?"

Everybody knows muscle is mostly protein.  Everybody also knows that a lot of extra protein is required to build muscle and keep it healthy.  Right?  Well, actually, it's not.  Everybody is wrong.  Similarly, most people believe that muscle is anywhere from 75 percent to 100 percent protein.  In fact, muscle is roughly 70 percent water!  It contains only about 22 percent protein.  Stop here a moment, and do the math.  Let's say you want to add a pound of muscle to your current body weight per week.  If a pound of muscle contains 22 percent protein, how many grams of protein must you consume beyond your normal diet to achieve this goal? 22 percent of one pound (454 grams) = roughly 100 grams.  If one pound of muscle contains roughly 100 grams of protein, how many extra grams of protein will you need to consume per day?  100 grams/7 days = 14.3 grams per day. [Italics added] [3] 

Although this sounds like a grossly confused calculation for those of us raised to believe you need 1g of protein per pound of bodyweight,  Lightsey backs up his argument with advice from doctors and sports nutritionists.  His view of the supplement industry is extremely low, but he does make good points that I agree with -- namely that two of the most ergogenic substances you can consume are water and carbohydrates.

On the flip side of the coin, Will Brink, in his article Protein Myths that Will Not Die, counters this argument with one of his own.

Myth #4 “Athletes don’t need extra protein” 

Interestingly, there has not been much new research of note on this topic since I wrote the first version of this article in 1995. Now the average reader person is probably thinking “who in the world still believes that ridiculous statement?” The answer is a great deal of people, even well educated medical professionals and scientists who should know better, still believe this to be true.

[...]

For the past half century or so scientists using crude methods and poor study design with sedentary people have held firm to the belief that bodybuilders, strength athletes of various types, runners, and other highly active people did not require any more protein than Mr. Potato Head…..err, I mean the average couch potato.

For those of you who may need a brush up, one review paper on the subject by one of the top researchers in the field (Dr. Peter Lemon) states “…These data suggest that the RDA for those engaged in regular endurance exercise should be about 1.2-1.4 grams of protein/kilogram of body mass (150%-175% of the current RDA) and 1.7 – 1.8 grams of protein/kilogram of body mass per day (212%-225% of the current RDA) for strength exercisers” (“Is increased dietary protein necessary or beneficial for individuals with a physically active life style?” Nutr. Rev. 54:S169-175, 1996).

Another group of researchers in the field of protein metabolism have came to similar conclusions repeatedly (“Evaluation of protein requirements for trained strength athletes.” J. Applied. Phys. 73(5): 1986-1995, 1992.) They found that strength training athletes eating approximately the RDA/RNI for protein showed a decreased whole body protein synthesis (losing muscle jack!) on a protein intake of 0.86 grams per kilogram of bodyweight.

Conclusions

From all the research that's out there it appears that the best source of protein for any diet is from whole food sources.  The body is simply more apt at digesting protein from nature when combined with fats, carbs, enzymes, vitamins and minerals and the whole range of other ingredients found in a balanced and nutritious meal.  However, for a bodybuilder or weightlifter who is trying to add significant amounts of muscle mass in a short period of time, an increased amount of protein is necessary.  Obviously in a perfect setting that person would get all their protein from whole food sources.  But, in a fast paced world with our lives to lead, most of us will opt for the convenient option of supplementing with a protein shake or bar in place of a meal.  The most important times to consume these quick digesting proteins is around the workout period, where amino acids are needed quickly to be utilized by muscle tissue.  It appears from the research that the optimal amount of protein from a supplement that can be consumed in a single setting is around 30 grams.  According to JISSN, a fast digesting whey protein or even an EAA supplement appears to be your best choice for this purpose (although whey is a much cheaper alternative to the free form essential amino acids).

Sources


[1] Fell, James. Rethinking protein powder. Los Angeles Times.  September 27, 2010.
[2] Wilson, Jacob, et al. Contemporary Issues in Protein Requirements and Consumption for Resistance Trained Athletes. J Int Soc Sports Nutr. 2006; 3(1): 7–27. PMCID: PMC2129150
[3] Lightsey, David. Muscles, Speed, and Lies: What the Sport Supplement Industry Does Not Want Athletes or Consumers to Know.  The Lyons Press. 2006.

Whatever happened to Craig Titus and Kelly Ryan?

Craig Titus - Mug Shot (LVPD)

One of the most common searches to my blog is for Craig Titus and Kelly Ryan.  Both Titus and Ryan were alleged to be involved in a murder of their assistant, Melissa James, during a fight possibly fueled by heavy doses of narcotics.

Although the story is covered pretty well, there are still a few lingering questions about the tragedy.  There were always rumors of a sex tape involving Kelly Ryan, Melissa James, and Craig Titus, but that has apparently never surfaced.  Some people claim to have seen it or clips from it, but to my knowledge, no substantial proof that it exists has ever been released. What is clear is that Kelly Ryan and Craig Titus lived a drug fueled party lifestyle and probably had a situation of an open marriage where both partners were free to swing and engage in outside relationships.

Kelly Ryan - Mug Shot (LVPD)

The fact that Melissa James came to live with Kelly and Titus is a perfect example of this relationship.  It would seem somewhat unusual for a married couple to need a young female live in assistant when they had no children and their occupation was professional bodybuilding.  What it came to in the end was apparently the result of jealousy on the part of Kelly Ryan towards Melissa James.  There were accusations that Melissa James was stealing money from them.

Although Craig Titus still doesn't freely admit that he intentionally killed Melissa James, he does admit dumping her body in their car and setting it on fire in the Nevada desert.  Both Ryan and Titus copped plea deals, making them eligible for parole in the future.  Titus will be eligible for parole in 2026 when he is 61 years old, while Kelly Ryan could be eligible for parole as early as next year (2011).  Whether or not the parole board will see it this way is yet to be determined.

A true crime novel called Fire in the Desert has been written about the ordeal, but it is explained pretty thoroughly in the 48 Hours piece, "Vegas Heat", produced by CBS that I've embedded at the bottom of this article.

• Craig Titus - Wikipedia
• Kelly Ryan - Wikipedia
• The Titus-Ryan Files - FlexOnline
• Free Craig Titus (no longer maintained)
• Titusandryan.com (also appears to be no longer actively maintained)

48 Hours - Vegas Heat

Watch CBS Videos Online
If for some reason you can't get the video to play, you can watch online at cbsnews.com

This is a follow up on two earlier stories I did IFBB Pro Craig Titus & wife Kelly Ryan Wanted for Murder and Titus and Wife Captured!

The Gregg Valentino Interview: I never took Synthol!

I originally wrote a post criticizing the much vaunted Gregg Valentino back in 2006 after his special on TLC, The Man Whose Arms Exploded, originally aired in the US.  It was called Gregg Valentino: "I'm an idiot". But then just last week I got this comment on my blog for this post:

MORON...NICE TRY!!!... I NEVER USED SYNTHOL IN MY LIFE THAT IS INTERNET FOLKLORE ...ANYBODY WHO GAS SEEN THE TLC SHOW KNOWS I USED STEROIDS, THAT ARM WAS AN INJURY, I DRAINED BLOOD FROM A HEMATOMA.....I HAD AN INFECTION IN MY OTHER ARM FROM SHOOTING TESTOSTERONE AND REUSING NEEDLES...GETS YOUR FACTS STRAIGHT PUSSY!!!!...I NEVER SAID I USED SYNTHOL, SHOW ME WHERE IN THAT TLC SHOW DID I SAY I USED THAT GARBAGE....YOU ARE A LIAR!!! 

The comment was left anonymously, but since it was written in all upper case and seemed to be written in the first person from Valentino's perspective, I decided to contact him and see if it really was him and ask if he would like to take part in an interview to clear up any misconceptions there might have been.  He agreed and you can now listen to the interview online below.

LISTEN TO THE INTERVIEW (MP3 96kbps) Alternate Link

If you have any trouble listening to or downloading the interview, please let me know.  If you would like to provide a mirror to download the MP3 or a direct link for streaming, please contact me (use the link on the right) and let me know.

Gregg Valentino embodies a certain part of our culture that is not all that different from others who consider themselves to be outsiders.  From tattoos, and piercings to hair dye and wearing different styles of clothes.  At different junctures of our collective heritages, each of us has seen these things traverse from being done by a rank outsider in an extreme taboo to a common everyday appearance and even to the point of being a social norm or a rite of passage that many young people perform.  In this sense, Gregg Valentino could almost be considered an innovator.  He a took a look at the sport of bodybuilding and decided to transcend beyond even their outlandish norms and converted his body into something truly freakish.  In a way, he is like a modern Frankenstein's monster.  No other previous generation would have had the suitable science, technology, and pharmacology to circumvent normal human biology and create a Gregg Valentino.  But, as with Dr. Frankenstein's creation, Gregg Valentino is both laughed at by some and applauded by others.

As for Gregg Valentino himself, he doesn't consider himself to be a sideshow freak.  "I just got lucky" he says, referring to the cards he's been dealt in life.  Now refocusing his attention to the mainstream media, he still feels the pangs and urge of fame calling for him, but it still feels better to be able to have the income and free time to spend with his kids -- not to mention to be alive and in relatively good health.

Yet, throughout his career starting in the early to late 1990s he has been commonly accused of using site enhancing oils (SEOs) (aka Synthol) to create his freakish appearance and get his biceps to the size of 27 inches in diameter at his peak.  What initially made me consider Gregg Valentino a Synthol user was how out of proportion his upper arm muscles (biceps, triceps and deltoids) were even to his forearms, not to mention his chest, legs and back.  Even after speaking with a prominent manufacturer of an SEO product, they told me that Valentino's appearance was not the result of any type of SEO, but in fact, could only be the result of muscle implants.  However, looking at him today, his own explanations seem more plausible.  Implants don't shrink, but Gregg Valentino's biceps have.

Gregg told me that he never used any site enhancing oils, commonly referred to as Synthol.  Synthol is colloquially known in the bodybuilding world to be a type of oil a person injects into their muscle to increase the size without actually increasing the muscle or the strength itself.  It's sold legally as a gray area product, typically marketed as a "posing solution" to be rubbed on before a competition, even though its sold in sterile vials.  Most Synthol or site enhancing oils are made up of MCTs (medium chain triglycerides) that have been sterilized with some lidocaine added as a local anesthetic.  Even to steroid users, Synthol use is tantamount to cheating.  Once Synthol is injected, it expands the muscle fascia by filling it with oil.  That oil usually dissipates over time so people have to continue to use it to keep up the façade.  Usage patterns for Synthol differ, but on one site that sells a site enhancing oil product, Synthetek, recommended starting with 1ml a day for 10 days.

However, Gregg explained to me that what he was doing was similar.  He was doing site injections of enormous volumes of steroids such as Equipoise (EQ) and Testosterone propionate (test prop), such as amounts of 6ml injections of test prop twice per week at the very least.  Test prop typically contains 25mg/ml of testosterone with the short acting propionate ester attached, which would make it a solution of 25mg of testosterone in 1ml of oil.  Using 12ml of oil twice per week alone would most likely give a user Synthol like results if site injected into a muscle group.  But, with the added benefit of the steroid hormone it would likely increase those results (not to mention the additional EQ).  Gregg says he doesn't remember how much exactly he would take each week, but because he was dealing at the time and had a huge supply on hand, sometimes he would use go through two 10ml bottles of test prop per week.  A typical dosage used for test prop is generally recommended to be 25mg every other day (which would be about 4ml of oil) with EQ generally recommended at 400mg per week (which would generally be 2ml of oil).  In my mind, this could account for Gregg's Synthol like appearance in his biceps without actually having to use it.  I also asked him if he had ever had implants and had any X-rays to prove it.  He told me that he was X-rayed for his appearance on ESPN E60 - Superfreak (click the link to watch or click here to download) but that was mostly for general health and not to check for implants.  He said if someone was willing to put up the money, he would submit to X-rays to prove that his biceps aren't full of oil or implants, but the most they would find would probably just be scar tissue now.

Using bottles upon bottles of injectable anabolic androgenic steroids (AAS) as often as you wanted without regard to their price or negative short and long term side effects on the body, one could easily picture Gregg Valentino pounding vial after vial of test prop and EQ, not even keeping track of how much was used or taken boggles the mind of a sensible person.  But even a person who would consider themselves to be a sensible steroid user it is completely outrageous.  It could also easily explain the "synthol" type look Gregg Valentino achieved with the vast quantities of AAS suspended in that volume of oil.

Gregg says he now no longer does any cycles and his biceps are down from 27" to around 20" today.  He writes a monthly column for Muscular Development and is working on making appearances in TV and movies.  He stared in the popular documentary "Bigger, Stronger, Faster" about steroid use and the bodybuilding culture. He's working on getting into movies and one particular upcoming role he mentioned was a film called Sanctum Void which is in pre-production.  He says he's concerned about his health and no longer takes any steroids or wants to try any of the prohormone/prosteroid products on the market.  He basically takes flax oil, fish oil, CoQ10 and Gaspari protein.  He's also written a new book called Death, Drugs and Muscle about his crazy lifestyle in the 90s.




Most of the interview I asked him questions specifically pertaining to the TLC documentary The Man Whose Arms Exploded which apparently no longer airs and isn't listed for sale on Amazon or TLC's website.  So, I have made it available for download.  It is split into three parts and compressed using RAR, so you will need software to decompress it, if you don't already.  Two freeware programs you can use are 7zip and Tugzip (both for Windows).  All you need to do is download them all into one single folder and open the first part and it will automatically combine the other parts, extracting the full movie for you.  The movie is in AVI format so you will need something like DivX Player to play it back.  Note: You need to download all three parts to watch the video.  Once you download all three files and put them into a single folder you then extract them into a single video file with the entire documentary (unedited).

• The Man Whose Arms Exploded - Part 1 95mb
• The Man Whose Arms Exploded - Part 2 95mb
• The Man Whose Arms Exploded - Part 3 84mb

Thanks to MediaFire for hosting the files and the interview!

You can visit Gregg at his website at http://www.greggvalentino.net/

TinyChat Responds to Inquiry Regarding Public IP Disclosure

This is a follow up to the story TinyChats Privacy Policy and IP Disclosure

I requested information from Tinychat regarding what their policies on disclosing members IP addresses publicly when a chat room is closed and they claim it is specifically to allow law enforcement to see IP addresses when a room is terminated.  Here is what I asked them:

1. Why do you feel the need to display users IP addresses of individuals in a room that has been closed by Tinychat staff/moderators?
2. How long does this list containing users IP addresses remain up on your server for?
3. Is it possible for an individual to request to have their IP removed from this list?
4. Do you feel you are acting responsibly and providing safety and security to your users by publicly displaying their IP addresses in a room that has been closed?
5. Do you believe there is any security risk or privacy concern by displaying individuals IP addresses publicly in this way?
6. Do you have any further comments on why you have this policy at Tinychat and if you plan to continue to do so in the future?

Their response:

Room closures can happen when a federal or state law enforcement officer contacts us, requesting us to do so. Regrettably, the option to close or not close a room is not always in our hands, as we have to obey requests from law enforcement just like any other company. We would of course like to never have to close a room but as I said, this is not always in our control. We have been publicly posting the IP's for the ease of the LEO Agent in those situations, however I do agree that this data should not be posted publicly and I will be discussing internally and with law enforcement ways that we can continue to obey their requests without publicly showing this data . Additionally, if you can give me the room name in question, I can expedite the removal of that from public view. 

Regards

-Tinychat 

So, Tinychat claims that their room closures happen when law enforcement contacts them.  I do not believe this is always the case, as I'm sure law enforcement officers aren't sitting back and waiting for girls to get nude on Tinychat so they can close a room a post IPs.  Furthermore, if violations do occur and law enforcement requests information about a room, there is no distinguishing information as to who was active, who was displaying a cam, who was moderating the room or etc, making it nearly impossible to determine anything relevant that could be used as an investigation or a prosecution.

I believe Tinychat simply does this to embarrass users and discourage them from returning.  Obviously Tinychat wants to run a clean service that does not include nudity or issues of persons under legal age, which brings up a whole host of problems for a site like this due to COPPA, the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act.  I believe Tinychat is technically in violation of COPPA since they allow unregistered users to display themselves on camera in public chat rooms viewable by other anonymous visitors.

At this point, I do not believe anyone in the misc who was in a Tinychat room and has had their IP publicly posted should be concerned about being contacted by law enforcement.  But, I will try and determine more about the situation from Tinychat directly.

If any user wanted to continue to use the Tinychat service, regardless of their highly questionable privacy policy, I would recommend using some form of proxy tool, such as Anonymizer, to mask their IP address from being viewed and logged by Tinychat.

It is a plus on Tinychat's end that they are reviewing this policy internally, as they say, and hopefully will mend their ways.  I will contact them back further and post more updates as they come in.  Feel free to add your comments, questions, concerns and input.

UPDATE: TinyChat failed to respond to my further inquires about their policies, as did the EFF when I put the question to them regarding the legality of TinyChat's policies.  I have heard no further updates or complaints from users about having their rooms closed and their IPs posted, so this issue may have been resolved.  However, if you know otherwise, please let me know by leaving a comment or sending me an email through my contact link on the right.  It appears that TinyChat is no longer publicly posting users IP addresses when rooms are closed.  If you find information showing otherwise, please let me know.

TinyChats Privacy Policies and IP Exposure

TinyChat is a service that provides users with a web based chat room and the ability to stream multiple live webcams in their rooms.  Their service is very simplistic and uses an IRC like interface, similar to Justin.tv, which the exception of the ability to have more than one cam streams going at a single time.  Like most cam sites, they have terms of services and privacy policies that disallow certain behaviors, such as vulgarity or nudity on cam.  But, TinyChat goes a step further with their polices when they feel that users have misbehaved and punishes them by not only closing the room, but publishing a list of all the users who were present when the room was running along with their full IP addresses.

Tinychat may terminate any user's access to the network, Web site and service and remove any content posted, for any reason. Tinychat reserves the right to modify or discontinue and portion or component of the service at any time and with or without notice. Tinychat shall not be liable to any user or any third-party for any termination or modification of service. By using the tinychat service you agree, that should any room be closed for any reason that all users data who may be in the room may be disclosed publicly.

 TinyChat Privacy Policy and Terms of Service

This is an abhorrent practice on TinyChat's part to expose any members IP address publicly without any way for the user to request it be removed.  This information can give away a users location and allow individuals with malicious intent to potentially attack the IP address using denial of service attacks or port scans to look for vulnerabilities or holes in the users system.

The Misc Incident


Last night on Bodybuilding.com's Misc section a user started a thread that linked to a Tinychat room with him and a female companion.  According to the user, franchise16, no nudity was recorded on cam during the chat session, but in the end, the Tinychat staff felt it necessary to close down the room and then proceeded to display the IP addresses of all the users who were currently in that room at the time.

As of the time of this posting, Tinychat still has left this information up.  As a further example of the abuse potential this opens up, a number of users took the entire list of IP addresses and claimed to post them on 4chan, to allow the members their to potentially exploit the list for nefarious purposes.  I cannot verify this claim however.

I spoke to the user who started the Tinychat room, franchise16, and asked him for an overview of the events. Here is a summary of what he said happened:

Made thread bout POF [Plenty of Fish] girl comin over

[She] Came over, had webcam open and screen off on macbook, told them mac was for music

Carried it around with me

Brought on to porch where we fooled around, was too dark to see

Had about 500 users viewing it in the room

Brought it inside and into the room

We made out for a big on bed

Took titties out, no nudity was recorded I dont believe

[The feed] Was cut about 2 min after mac was brought into room

Rest happened off cam

All IPs were posted in tinychat room but for some reason not me or any other canadian brahs

I asked him if there was any nudity shown on cam and he responded that there was not.  He also confirmed that the girl was of legal age (18) and was therefore not any sort of situation of child pornography.  franchise16 said that no Tinychat staff warned him in advance that he was violating in terms of that he should stop the cam feed before the room was closed and all the users IPs were posted.  Regardless if there even was nudity displayed on cam in the Tinychat room, Tinychat should not endanger it's users security by publicly "outting" them by posting their IP addresses when a room is terminated.

Because of this incident, I would recommend that no one use Tinychat.  The risk of having your IP posted without any warning or notification is not one that you should be willing to risk.  When using IRC servers that do not obfuscate IP addresses, users are aware that their IPs are being displayed publicly, but Tinychat doesn't do this openly or have any sort of whois command so that users IPs can be displayed to other users, outside of Tinychat staff.

I will contact Tinychat's support and report back with their response.

UPDATE: Tinychat has responded to my inquiry.  See the post TinyChat Responds to Inquiry Regarding Public IP Disclosure  for the follow up.