It isn't even that (at least I didn't get that). It's just a standard click through advertisement that 90% of magazine sites seem to use. A lot of interesting and informative articles are hidden away behind these pernicious, easily skippable, advertisements.
While I agree completely that it's a bit outdated(sorry, potentially putting words in your mouth) and has the potential to be pernicious(see the parent of this thread), the easily skippable part is what makes it ok with me.
I found the subscription notice to be incredibly unoffensive given the reputation of the source as well as the high quality of the article.
