I tried 6 of their login/password combinations for the new times but none of them worked
Not being a computer geek, I'm not sure how this works. But, when I use Firefox with the "No Script" extension to block the site's Java, I can view articles on some "Registration Required" sites, including NYT.
One suggestion I got was to register to your junk mail account (free from hotmail, etc.) and lie about the demographics.
EVERYONE should have a junk email account, IMHO.