Permanent Disposable Email Address

Don't you hate it when sites want to validate your email address before they give you access? Well, you don't have to give it to them anymore thanks to Mailinator.com. And it is amazingly simple to use. Here is an example of how to use it:

1. Make up any name ending in @mailinator.com (we'll use MyEZName@mailinator.com) and use it to sign up at some site.
   
2. To check the validation email the site sends you, just go to mailinator.com, enter "MyEZName", and click "go".
   
3. There is no step 3!

No mail gets forwarded to you. You don't need to remember any password. You don't even need to pick a name that no one else has. The last 10 messages are kept for a few hours, and then get deleted. All attachments and pictures are removed.

Q: What if I want an even easier way to check my email?

A: When you check your mailbox on mailinator.com, there is an rss feed at the bottom. Or you can embed a widget on your own page. Or even use a bookmarklet (see below) like I do.

Q: But anyone can read my email, can't I get some privacy?

A: Yep, it is super simple, and in their FAQ.

My bookmarklet that works for Safari 3.2.1 on OS X:
javascript:w=window.open('http://www.mailinator.com/widget/mailin8r.jsp?w=350&h=400&b=MyEZName&f=false',"",'width=350,height=400,resizable=yes,scrollbars=no,toolbar=no,location=no,directories=no,status=no,menubar=no,copyhistory=no');setTimeout("w.document.title='paste-your-public-name-here'",1000);
(Just paste this into a text editor, replace the "MyEZName" with your name, and "your-alternate-name" with your alternate name, and paste it in as the URL for a bookmark. The bookmark will then open a small window with the widget you see below. The title of the window will be your alternate name so you don't have to remember, or look it up everytime. If you edit the width and height, don't forget to edit each one in both places. Post a comment on how it works on your browser/OS.)

Here is what the widget looks like:

 

(Go ahead, send an email to MyEZName@mailinator.com and refresh this page!)