HowTo: Get the Apple iPod Touch 3.1 update free

I was restoring an iPod of mine today, and I think that this method of updating your iPod actually works! If someone tries it and it also works, please let me know by commenting below. Here are the steps for updating your iPod Touch for free:

1. Back-up your iPod

This is extremely important. In iTunes, there is an option under the iPod tab to back-up your iPod. If this procedure goes wrong, which it shouldn't, you will atleast have a safe back-up to rely on.

2. Put your iPod in Recovery Mode

Here's how to do it. First, Connect your device to your computer and open iTunes. Next, press and hold the home button. While you are still holding this, press and hold the Sleep button until you see the Apple logo, then immediately let go, but continue to hold to Home button. Then, when you see an iTunes logo and a plug, you can let go of the Home button. Your iPod is now in Recovery mode.

3. Restore your iPod

Once your iPod is in Recovery Mode, a dialog box will appear in iTunes saying that it has detected an iPod in Recovery Mode, and it will ask you if you want to restore and update this iPod. Click Yes.

4. Download and install the software update

Finally, iTunes will begin downloading the huge update file, and will restore your iPod with the latest software.

And there you have it! Your iPod should be completely up to date with Software 3.1.

Note: If you use a passcode, you will want to disable that before beginning this process. It messes up the iPod restoration process, and it will not work.

- Adam Sidiali

Wordpress vs Blogger: Why I chose Blogger

   For years, I couldn't decide what blogging network to use. Blogger was my default, seeing that I'm such a Google power user. Wordpress, however, offered a more customizeable interface, along with way more free themes to choose from. In this post, I'll break down the basic features of each blogging network, along with the pros and cons of each one.


Wordpress:

The wordpress blog network,
being the largest online, has so many tools to create sites ranging from personal blogs to corporate pages. With included tools like spam blocker, free themes, and plug-ins, you can't go wrong with Wordpress.

New users have the ability to register for your site, and several accounts can be set to work as administrators, editors, or other levels of authority.

One issue I have always had with Wordpress is the ability to add and format images within your post. Whenever I upload/insert an image, I ALWAYS have to edit the HTML to align the image to my liking. An even sometimes this fails. I honestly do not have a perfect way to format images.

A huge plus with Wordpress blogs is the ability to customize pretty much anything on your site. Whether it's the header of your site, how your posts are formatted, or the colors of your page, it can all be found in the theme files. This is a great way to design a professional, custom site for little or no money.


Blogger:

Blogger, Google's blogging service, just celebrated it's ten year anniversary. Blogger offers a nice array of widgets for your page, but lacks the customizable options that wordpress has.

With blogger, you can use a custom domain for free, bub you won't get as professional of a site than if you used Wordpress. This is justified somewhat by the wide selection of available widgets, which actually impressed me. You can "install" these widgets anywhere, such as on your sidebar or footer, making for a more interactive interface for readers.

Themes on Blogger are limited. There are a few nice clean themes, but nothing near the work of wordpress themes. I guess you can install custom themes, but the process is way more difficult than installing them on wordpress.

Now that I have given you a peak at each network, let me explain why I have decided to go with Blogger.

When you are a blogger, your work never stops. Blogging is meant to go with you. If you encounter something worth blogging about, you want to be able to immediately. Well, unlike wordpress, blogger has, by far, the most impressive mobile integration in the blogging industry. You can blog via email, online interface, or even text and picture message. If you're an iPhone person, there are some great blogging tools available ( I'm actually on blogpress right now!).


If you are in the blogging network for news, or any other updated content, I would stick to Blogger. If you are looking for professional sites that will mainly be based from a computer, Wordpress is where you should go.


Any questions? Send me an email, or comment below!


- Adam Sidiali

Welcome to the new blog!

My name's Adam Sidiali (full last name is Sidialicherif...). I live in a beautifully green town called Sammamish, Washington, and I absloutely love it here.


My passion for blogging began around the same time I started teaching myself the basics of programming and web design, when I was about 13. My first ever blog,The Land of Tech, is a piece of internet history now, but always reminds me of my passion for technology. I then began to branch out, working on several different programming projects, as well as began my very own professional blog SidTheKid.org. I worked on it for about 5 months when I was nearing 15 years old, but from that point on I had to give it up. I was just gettin' to High School, and the workload was crazy.

As I got into my sophomore year of HS, I finally found time to continue my hobby. SidTheKid got a complete makeover, and hasn't changed since. Now, I am constantly updating SidTheKid with useful tips, reviews, and other tech news that I come across. Go check it out!

I am now in my junior year of HS. Over the summer, however, I realized that I want to do something else than write about tech. There are so many tech blogs out there, and even though I enjoy writing about tech, I have always wanted to change the world in one way or another. I began researching niches that I enjoy writing about that are unheard of in the online world. That was how the idea of TheYouthVoice.org was born.

TheYouthVoice, which launched on September 10th, 2009, is a blog built for teens, featuring news, how-to's, product reviews, and more. As TheYouthVoice is still extremely young, it has a while until it hits the big time, but I'm sure it'll get there eventually.

And thats my story. In that time somewhere, I learned several programming languages, including C#, HTML, CSS, PHP, Javascript, and a few others. I have a few services, and you can check them out on the Services page.

Thanks again for visiting, and I hope you all enjoy the blog.

Adam Sidiali