Probably not, depends on the hub. The standard-compliant ones have all USB terminals including V+ and GND connected to the controller IC itself, so devices have to negotiate their power requirements with the hub. Problem is, the RPi cannot do this.

Non-standard hubs use common V+ and GND lines for all connections (input, output and power) so these can power the RPi from the normal micro-B port, as well as "backpower" it through the Type-A ports (since the entire board uses a common VDC). Backpowering is not recommended because it bypasses the RPi's internal power regulator chip. Usually, the solution is simply to cut the V+ wire in the Type-A plug leading to the RPi.

Sources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Usb#Power
http://elinux.org/RPi_VerifiedPeripherals#Powered_USB_Hubs

I guess for the hub and PC to communicate via the data lines they need to have a common voltage reference point, and that's what the ground is for.

It bypasses the input polyfuse, so you might fry your pie if there's any kind of power surge.

This post has been edited by yu_wang: Feb 4 2013, 10:51 AM

The USB hub power still came from mains, so a lightning strike could potentially affect everything, but yeah that's not really a huge factor. The fuse is meant for simple over-current protection e.g. accidental short-circuits when tinkering with GPIO. I'd rather have that one blown instead of something in my USB hub.

The polyfuses you quoted refer to the USB output ports and were rated at ~100mA. There's still one more at the power input port rated at 1.1A, labeled "F3" at the back of the board and in the official schematics (first page).

This post has been edited by yu_wang: Feb 5 2013, 01:08 PM

I think it's free shipping. Can't remember if there was any kind of promotion when I got mine.
Yes, the RPi is hardwired to boot from SD card only.
Not sure, but I guess no only because the LAN port is too tall. Sounds like a good idea though, especially with the right power tools...

ConnectBot? https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.connectbot

Your USB hub should have its own male USB connector, this needs to be plugged into one of the two USB ports on the raspberry pi. Currently your hub port #1 provides power to the RPi but there is no data connection between them, hence it does not show up in your logs at all.

http://elinux.org/RPi_USB_Wi-Fi_Adapters
This is a good starting point, but you'll have to narrow it down to those that have high-gain antenna, can be access point and are available locally.

Are you connecting to the right IP?
Did you change the SSH server port from default 22?
Otherwise usually means either your SSH server is not running or the OS is not booting at all. Need a screen to see what's going on.