LifeHacker had a great article on accessing hidden parts of the internet.

• Skip Past Annoying User/Pass Requests
• Read Articles That Rupert Murdoch Wants You Paying For
• Change User Agents to Get Around Browser Blocks
• Get to Gmail When It’s Down
• Get Actually Usable BitTorrent Speeds
• Get to Sites Taken Down by Traffic
• Control Computers at Home
• Download YouTube and Other Flash Videos
• Access Country-Blocked Streaming TV
• Roll Your Own Proxy to Access Blocked Sites

All very good advice…