Two sad things here. The first is an obviously bright individual used his skill wearing a black hat, or in some cases a gray hat.
The second is the media and general population still address these individuals as hackers. Sorry its a little off topic but they're not hackers. Anyone who uses this skill and knowledge for something illegal is a cracker, not a hacker.
Remember crackers are like the sith, and hackers are like the Jedi. :P
Sorry djlebarron, I'll shut up and get back on topic now.