A bricked phone is a phone that has no use. Apart from, possibly, as a brick.
If you can bring it back it isn't bricked. But, in the parts it may have been bricked, but there is now a way to "unbrick" it. Which means... It isn't bricked.
Jtagging any device, be it phone, console, satellite receiver.... Is a fucking pain....!
I always read the instructions several times and make sure I understand it all. I have never bricked any device I have fucked with the firmware on. I've had issues where my device has been useless for a while, but I have always brought it back.....
I got my ROM from XDA. I rooted from XDA instructions. Most of my kernels were from XDA.
I will not be changing my rom until 2.3 is available. Then I want the Cyanogenmod Rom.....