modding is not an easy thing to do, though it is significantly easier on an xbox than a PS2. It requires significant skill to solder some of the wires onto those extremely small leads. If i were to 'mod' an xbox, i'd just go with installing a linux distro onto it. I think you can undo that if you are really into doing xbox live.

**note i said "i think." I would double check that before doing anything drastic, like actually installing something onto your xbox. **