Sorry Im Poor v 1.0

Welcome to Sorry Im Poor, the browser extension for getting past (a majority of) article paywalls, conceptually based on one of the features of the now-defunct UBlock Origin browser extension (RIP 🙏)

0. How + When it Works 
1. How to Use
2. How to Install
3. How to Do Good
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0. How + When it Works
Often while browsing the interwebs, you might come across an article you'd like to read only to find out once you get past the first paragraph, a big ass pop-up appears, blocking the rest of the text. This is when the extension works.
That article you want to read lives in the bones (or HTML) of the page. The pop-up asking you to subscribe is an added layer made of Javascript (aka JS). Meaning the article is going to be on the same page for the paid members and non-paid members, they just add instructions for the JS layer to activate for non-paid members. The extension works by disabling JS from running, leaving the article text and HTML behind.
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1. How to Use
After installing, pin the extension. Click the fly icon to toggle JavaScript on/off for the exact page you're viewing. The extension will automatically reload the page for you with JS turned off. In most cases, your article should now be legible.
Test it* here: 
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-to-surf-on-saturns-moon-titan/
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/07/30/arts/design/iris-van-herpen-fashion-sculpting-the-senses-brooklyn.html

A red "OFF" badge should appear on the fly icon, indicating that JS has been disabled for the specific site you are viewing. If you go to a different tab open to a different website, the fly should look normal. If you need to return normal functionality (ie Turn JS back on), just click the fly icon again. Otherwise, the extension should remember your preference for the site and continue to work until you press it again. Returning JS functionality *might* require hitting the refresh button after deactivating the icon.

Best way to use is when you encounter an article, then press the icon. The extension should then work across the entire site, but I still recommend this method instead of pressing the button before opening an article link. 

*It's hard to get an immediate test since usually you get a few for free. So if it start's as free to read anyway, try opening a few articles at https://www.scientificamerican.com or https://www.nytimes.com (usually you'll max out around three articles before you start getting prompted to subscribe)
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2. How to Install
This extension is made for Chromium-based browsers such as:
- Google Chrome
- Brave
- Opera
- Edge
How to check if your browser is Chromium-based: Google it. 
Most browsers are Chromium-based. If you aren't using a default browser like Safari or a version of Firefox, chances are you have a Chromium based browser.
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1. Go to your extension settings page via the browser's menu or jump directly there by entering the following (with no http) in the address bar:
- Chrome: chrome://extensions 
- Brave: brave://extensions
- Opera: opera://extensions
2. Turn on 'Developer Mode' (usually in the top-right hand corner, next to extensions search bar).
3. Click the 'Load Unpacked' button that appears
- Select the "Sorry Im Poor" unzipped folder.
- Open a new tab, and pin the extension icon to your address bar (using the extension drop-down menu next to the url address bar).
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3. How to Do Good
It is not beyond me that if someone has produced an article that other people find value in, they should be compensated for their work (hence the 'Sorry' in 'Sorry, I'm Poor'). However, after doing some research, I found the overwhelming majority of sites with this subscription-to-read-more model (I couldn't find a single counter-example), do NOT pay their writers more based on readership. You can look at this two ways: One, where someone who produces consistently excellent work, driving traffic and subscriptions to the site is paid the same if they produced mediocre content. or Two, not paying per-click disincentivizes journalists from producing click-bait. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

So I think this already helps with the ethical calculus. There are also arguments that information should be free, and being poor should not exclude you from cultural enrichment. That being said, we should still support human insights over AI summaries and media organizations that cover topics we value. To do this, I recommend, whenever you use the extension, if the article turns out to be a banger, support the author or the platform by
-Sending the article to friends that might be interested.
-Post the article to a relevant sub-reddit - this one really helps with engagement since search engines give positive shine to reddit posts
-Find the author's socials (most journos have twitter/substack or decentralized alternatives like mastodon or bluesky) and give them a follow. Even if you don't use those platforms, make an account for the purposes of following journalists and artists. It might be dumb to you but it will not be nothing to them.
Any of these steps are a decent exchange for reading an article you didn't pay for. I am hoping future versions of this extension will include a way to automatically facilitate the above steps

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Notes: 
- if you want to help contribute to this project visit https://humantooth.neocities.org/sorryimpoor.html#working to submit sites the extension works on or report any issues.
- May not work for urls with `?query=string` in the URL. This usually means you are looking at the page with cookies/trackers attached. If you want to get around this find the '?' in the url and delete it and everything after it and press enter and try the extension again. 
- Your blocked-page list is stored locally (`chrome.storage.local`) and persists across browser restarts.
- I am obligated to state that the icons used for this project are modified versions of assets created by user juicy_fish on flaticon. (https://www.flaticon.com/free-icon/fly_9421093)
