The "hack" with the HOSTS file can be used on Windows, Mac, and Linux. Their HOSTS files all use the same format.
To check what IP address NG uses if a similar incident should befall us in the future, and NG becomes unreachable:
From a command line, issue
ping fiercebearofthenorth.com
and write down the IP address in the answer. It will always be identical to what NG itself uses.