Get rid of Spam!

Here's a common hassle: You sign up for some freebie, promotion, or service that requires your e-mail address--and suddenly your inbox is deluged with ads, notifications, and other spam.

Of course, without supplying an e-mail address, you wouldn't have been able to sign up. Indeed, in some cases you actually need to get e-mail from the company, if only to retrieve a registration code, coupon, or the like.

What you need is a disposable e-mail address, one that doesn't impact your inbox. Enter Mailinator, a free and easy service that gives you a temporary, Web-accessible e-mail address.

Mailinator requires no registration or setup of any kind. You just think up an e-mail address on the fly, tack on @mailinator.com, and then type it in. For example: krystajay@mailinator.com.

To check your e-mail, just head to the Mailinator site, enter your invented address under "Check your inbox," and then click Go. Presto: there's your mail. There's no password required (meaning this is a highly non-secure system, so use it only for things that don't require absolute privacy).

Read the Mailinator's FAQ page for more details. The only question that isn't answered is how long the mail (and accounts) are stored. So to be safe, delete your messages when you're done with them. You also have the option of forwarding them to your primary e-mail account, which is handy.

Found on pcworld.com