Is The Bugmenot.Com Website Down? (Great Website To Avoid Subscribing To Newspapers)

Self | August 18, 2004 | PJ-Comix

[PJ-Comix]

Is the Bugmenot.Com website down? I've been trying to access it for a couple of days but it won't come up. For those of you unfamiliar with Bugmenot.Com, it is a GREAT resource if you want to avoid subscribing to newspapers since that takes up a bunch of time plus you end up receiving Spam from those newspapers in the future. At Bugmenot.Com you simply enter the URL of the newspaper you want to access and Bugmenot.Com supplies you with a username and password so you can avoid subscribing to the newspapers.

Perhaps the newspapers have ganged up on Bugmenot.Com and taken it out of action. I don't know. All I know is that Bugmenot.Com save me a lot of time reading articles that I would normally have to waste time subscribing for.

[PJ-Comix]

Can anybody let me know if they can now successfully access BUGMENOT.COM? If this resource is taken off the Web it is a real shame. I don't like this trend of newspapers requiring you to subscribe online to read their articles.

[DB]

Doesn't work.

The registration is still good.

Maybe they got sued or they've had some sort of failure.

[PJ-Comix]

Damn! I didn't keep a record of the id's and passwords they supplied. This will be a real shame if they've been taken down. I find all this newspaper subscription business annoying. You have to spend time to register and then they often follow up with spam since they have your e-mail address.

[Truth29]

Interesting. I get a blank, grey screen with the proper address.

[PJ-Comix]

I get NOTHING. I guess the newspapers took down the Bugmenot.com website.

[Mercat]

Last time I tried to use their passwords to access the LATIMES it didn't work.

[PJ-Comix]

Uh-Oh!

[listenhillary]

We could do our own Bugmenot for freepers.

Registration
Free
Password
Free

Address - Michael Moores home address
Need to make up a email to use.

[Truth29]

Do you get "address not found?" I apparently get a valid website. The display is blank, however.

[csvset]

Pj, bugmenot is back.

[PJ-Comix]

WOO HOO! Now I can bypass the timely registration process and avoid yet more spam e-mail. I wonder why they were down for a few days?

[csvset]

I found this discussion about Bugmenot at Boing Boing

Bugmenot.com returns, spokesbugperson says some news sites trying to block it

Following up on the mystery surrounding Bugmenot.com's disappearance, Mr. Bugmenot himself delivers the following message to Boingboing readers via encrypted carrier pigeon:

"Our stinkin' host pulled the plug on us without notice (pretty obvious they were pressured somehow). But everything is sweet again- I've been in talk with our new hosts nearlyfreespeech.net -- they are very sympathetic to the cause and won't be pulling the plug on us again. Thanks for your support and concern but they are going to have to pry this site from my cold, dead hands :)

Also; this may be of interest -- evidence that some [registration-required] news sites are starting to use scripts to auto-disable accounts. The numbers in the column on the left represents the number of seconds since the last query."

Data: [ Link 1 | Link 2 | Link 3 | Link 4 ]

Within minutes of reading this message, we learn that the site is once again online. Link (Thanks for spotting that, Jean-Luc.)

Update: An anonymous BoingBoing reader writes, "With regard to bugmenot leaving a host that sold racist paraphernalia -- their new web host provides service to a combat18 / redwatch site. combat18 is a british neonazi group. Redwatch is their hitlist, a site containing photos and addresses of people who have opposed them in the past including (bizarrely) internet mogul Danny O'Brien. [If they moved because] they didn't want to be blocked by censorship software... Bugmenot had better hope they're not on the same server this time." [Ed note: a banner ad on Redwatch plugs a hosting service identified as "Nigger Free Hosting," but the site does appear to live at nearlyfreespeech.net.]

Bugmenot responds to the BoingBoing update:

"1. Bugmenot was with our original hosting company. They pulled the plug.
2. Decided to move to dissidenthosting.com, redelegated.
3. Two days passed and I still couldn't access the dissidenthosting account + bad vibe so I redelegated again to nearlyfreespeech.net
4. Dissidenthosting decided to take advantage of the situation by redirecting traffic to a neo-nazi site of their choice while the redelegation took hold to nearlyfreespeech.net
5. Things have just about settled down now at our new host (nearlyfreespeech.net) and everything seems to be working out.
Personally, I don't care if I'm sharing a server with neo-nazis. I might not agree with what they have to say, but the whole thing about freedom of speech is that people are free to speak."

[PJ-Comix]

Bugmenot.Com provides a GREAT service. I don't like this trend towards subscription periodicals online. Even if they don't charge money, it is time consuming to register and then they send you spam later.

[jern]

I used it today

[Lancey Howard]

I gave up newspapers in favor of Free Republic six years ago.

[maryz]

Even if they don't charge money, it is time consuming to register

You're not kidding. I almost registered at one site (I forget which), but they wanted so much info, you'd think I was applying for a job with them.

I wonder if any of those sites have software that keeps count of surfers who go to the site but decide it's not worth the effort.

[aculeus]

alternate solution from

http://artsjournal.com/

Sites That Ask You To Register: If you encounter a registration screen when you click on a link, try the ArtsJournal registration:
Username: ajreader (or ajreader@artsjournal.com if an email is requested)
Password: "access"