I guess everyone forgot the days before pop-up blocking was built into every browser? Sure, Javascript modals are disgusting, but by definition they have to be one at a time, not a giant stack of ads every time you browse a site. Also, lets not forget the joy of being nagged to install Flash and Real Player on every website.
Along with the fact that we have the option to block all of those distractions now. With my blocking extensions, that article was a single photo and all text on a plain white background. It was a very enjoyable reading experience.
Back in the day, blocking all the distractions (well, almost all of them, <blink> and <marquee> tags were a thing) was the default. You had to click a button in order to load all images inline, after the text had finished loading.
