Dear webmasters,

This:

is unacceptable.

It's nearly 2016. The endless tentacles of javascript and hordes of third party crap NEED TO DIE (I have a soft spot for flash, but that really needs to die as well)

HotAir is just an example, and yes, it is pretty bad, but it's hardly the worst offender. A lot of seemingly reputable sites are chock full of this kind of shit, not to mention what the more shady sites are like.

I was guilty myself, but I'm rectifying it by deleting most of the ad scripts here--don't care about a few potential bucks anymore--and pointless, obsolete javascript, but some of it is baked in embedded media (of which I'll be more careful about).

Recommended and related links*:
Ghostery
Adblock Edge Apparently Adblock Edge was discontinued and has since stopped working. For now Adblock Plus will do for that extra layer of security and ad-free browsing, just be sure to uncheck "Allow some non-intrusive advertising" in the filter preferences if you're so inclined.
NoScript

*I don't know if any of these work in non-Firefox browsers, likely not. Firefox-based browsers are better anyways, in certain important ways, such as if you like total control of your browser (old, but relevant article here).

Plus, of course, the obligatory Motherfucking Website
and Better Motherfucking Website