I do this and haven't had nearly as many problems as the author for a couple of reasons. First, I refuse to give out my email in most of the situations he complains about. I almost never want or need to link my physical retail purchases to an email address, and in the cases where I do, it is usually faster and easier to ask for a loyalty packet and sign up online than to dictate all the information to a clerk.
Second, I'm not strict about it, and use a generic address (my-formal-name@example.com) in situations where I do need to give an email verbally (like contractors asking where to send a quote). And I also have my-nick-name@example.com which I give to friends and family.
Since I only use the catch-all emails for things I do online, they are all stored in a password manager so I don't have any problem forgetting them.
With these more relaxed rules, I still end up using a catchall email the vast majority of the time, with a fraction of the annoyances. The only time it really comes up is for telephone support calls with accounts I created online, and it isn't a big deal.
The benefit is that I can block 90% of spam using nothing but a black list of address that have been compromised. And the novelty of knowing who has shitty security with my information.
Second, I'm not strict about it, and use a generic address (my-formal-name@example.com) in situations where I do need to give an email verbally (like contractors asking where to send a quote). And I also have my-nick-name@example.com which I give to friends and family.
Since I only use the catch-all emails for things I do online, they are all stored in a password manager so I don't have any problem forgetting them.
With these more relaxed rules, I still end up using a catchall email the vast majority of the time, with a fraction of the annoyances. The only time it really comes up is for telephone support calls with accounts I created online, and it isn't a big deal.
The benefit is that I can block 90% of spam using nothing but a black list of address that have been compromised. And the novelty of knowing who has shitty security with my information.