The NYTimes has recently implemented a paywall system where users will be charged for access after a certain number of page views.  Whatever your opinions of this system are, there is an easy way around it.  I heard rumors on twitter that following a link from twitter or facebook to an article would not count against your "free" pageview limit.  Someone has started a twitter feed that links to every new NYTimes article.  This seemed a little excessive to me so I tried changing the web referrer in firefox instead.  Essentially, whenever you visit a website, your web browser tells the webserver where you last visited.  It's really easy to lie about where you've been using the FireFox plugin RefControl.  All you need to do is:

1. Install the plugin.

2. Go to -> Tools -> Add-ons

3. Scroll down to RefControl and click on it

4. An Options button will appear. Click it.

5. In the new window click Add Site.

Fill out the form like this:

Surprisingly this also worked to shut up the "sign up for an account" nag page that appears when new users try to view more than 3 stories.

Even more surprising...It's a built in feature!

Not all visits to NYTimes.com will count toward the 20-article limit. In an effort to reduce losses among the Web site’s more than 30 million monthly readers, The Times will allow access to people who arrive at its Web site through search engines like Google and social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter. There will, however, be a five-article limit a day for people who visit the site from Google. - NYTimes

**Edit: Changed the referrer to their main twitter page.