For folks with Android devices, one of the first "fun" techie things to learn about is the "adb" command, which is available for Linux and Windows, and probably also OSX.

This works best on Linux, because no special USB drivers are needed. But despite that, most of the unlock/root toolkits are still Windows based, and involve great frustration trying to get a working set of USB drivers installed prior to being able to use the tools.

So on a Linux machine, I just connect my phone or N7 using the stock USB cable, and then do this from a Linux shell on the PC:

adb shell

Presto.. I'm now logged into the device with a shell prompt.
Next step for me is usually to type "su", gaining root access.

From there, the world's your oyster!
(but it won't get you tube access)