Just my 2cents.

I have a buddy who lives on the other side of town who, like me, is always interested in what can and cannot be done with a machine. He and I each have a box at our house that we have labled a tear'em up box.

He configures his to be "hacker proof" and I have the same. and like a drag race we try and find the weekness in each others.

1 - legal
2 - fun
3 - educating
4 - extremely cheap (paid $20 at a pawn shop for an old 486)

there are always alternatives to jail or worse, having your computer privaleges taken away for years