Solution to iOS 5.1 Download Problems

Looks like Apple's servers are taking a pounding with all of the demand for iOS 5.1.  If you have gotten the error, "There was a problem downloading the software for the iPhone.  The Network connection timed out.", find the solution below:

MAKE SURE TO BACKUP YOUR DEVICE BEFORE UPGRADING.

1.  Download the IOS 5.1 Firmware directly from Apple by clicking on the links below, save the file to your desktop:

iOS 5.1 (build 9B176) is compatible with iPad 1, iPad 2, iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4, iPhone 4S, iPod touch 3rd & 4th gen, and iPad 3. Additional builds are available for Apple TV 2 and Apple TV 3.

• iPad 1
• iPad 2 Wi-Fi
• iPad 2 GSM (AT&T)
• iPad 2 CDMA (Verizon)
• iPad 2,4
• iPhone 3GS
• iPhone 4 GSM (AT&T)
• iPhone 4 CDMA (Verizon)
• iPhone 4S
• iPod touch 3G
• iPod touch 4G
• iPad 3 Wi-Fi
• iPad 3 GSM
• iPad 3 CDMA
• Apple TV 2 (9B179b1)
• Apple TV 3 (9B179b1)

2.  After downloading the desired firmware, you can shift-click (PC) or option-click (Mac) the "Update" button in iTunes. A file dialog will open and let you choose the downloaded ipsw-file from your desktop.

3. Proceed with the upgrade as usual.

4. If you get Error -3002 at this point, try to do a Restore, rather than an Upgrade - remember to shift-click (or option-click on a Mac).

Please let me know if you have any issues with this procedure in the comments section below.

Check this post for similar solutions for iOS 5: http://obscureport.blogspot.com/2011/10/solution-for-ios-5-download-problems.html

Dungeons and Dragons Revisited - A Great Overview of the Phenomena

My highest recommendation for "Destroy All Monsters" by Paul Lafarge from a 2006 issue of The Believer magazine. For anyone who grew up playing D&D, this article is a must read.  For anyone who didn't play, you can learn what the fun, and the fuss was all about, and with the benefit of time, a little of why it was important to its adherents.  It covers the basics of the game (and its complexity), the history and controversy of its creation, extraordinary growth through corporate ups and downs, its cultural place, effects and backlash, and takes a look at what was at the heart of the obscure game that created its own niche and captured so many adolescent imaginations, including mine.

Engaging writing, perceptive analysis, and even some intrepid investigation (like going to Gary Gygax's house!) make this piece fun, informative and thought-provoking.

It takes me back to when I got my first Basic Set at around 8 years old...

Moment of 80's Nostalgia Zen

Or why we "dial" the phone, what "high speed dubbing" is used for, blowing on game cartridges, the scream of a modem connecting, watching TV shows at a certain time and (working) pay phones..

And we didn't get Gopher, WAIS and Lynx until sophomore year of college!

For the exhaustive list, 100 Things our Children May Never Know About from GeekDad...

Credit for Sharon from Texas for inspiring this post.

My Blackberry Is Not Working!

Like a tech version of Abbott and Costello's "Who's on First?" - check out this brilliant skit from "The One Ronnie" on BBC:

How to Free Up Space in iCloud

I found that after my first sync after upgrading my iPad to IOS 5, I was already running out of space in my iCloud account.  Of course, the option to buy more space was immediately offered, but after doing a little digging, I was able to drastically reduce the amount of space I was using for backup.  Here's how:

1.  Go to Settings, then choose iCloud, then Storage


2.  Select Backup/Manage Storage


3.  Select the device you want to edit


4.  Deselect any Apps which you don't need to backup - especially those that don't include any data, those with data you have backed up in other places (like my photos) and apps that you can easily re-download from the App Store if you need to.

That's it - I was able to cut my iCloud usage by about half by eliminating just a few apps.  Now I need to figure out how to use the space I freed up!


Here's an Apple Support article with more details:  http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4847

Solution for IOS 5 Download Problems - Error -3200, -3259, -3002

As Apple servers are overwhelmed right now by users trying to download IOS 5, many users are reporting "Error -3200" or "Error -3259" for iPads.  The error is just an indication that your download is timing out because of all of the demand.  If you want to bypass this problem and get IOS 5 as soon as possible, here's what to do:

MAKE SURE TO BACKUP YOUR DEVICE BEFORE UPGRADING.

1.  Download the IOS 5 Firmware directly from Apple by clicking on the links below, save the file to your desktop:

iOS 5 IPSW Firmware Update Files

• iPhone 3GS - appldnld.apple.com­/iPhone4­/041­-8356.20111012.SQRDT...
• iPhone 4 GSM - (AT&T)- appldnld.apple.com­/iPhone4­/041­-8358.20111012.FFc34...
• iPhone 4 CDMA - (Verizon) - appldnld.apple.com­/iPhone4­/041­-9743.20111012.vjhfp...
• iPhone 4,1 (4S?) - appldnld.apple.com­/iPhone4­/041­-1317.20111012.UVTgr...
• iPad - appldnld.apple.com­/iPhone4­/041­-8357.20111012.DTOrM...
• iPad 2 WiFi - appldnld.apple.com­/iPhone4­/041­-9618.20111012.Zxb22...
• iPad 2,2 – GSM (AT&T) - appldnld.apple.com­/iPhone4­/041­-9619.20111012.y34Nx...
• iPad 2,3 – CDMA (Verizon) - appldnld.apple.com­/iPhone4­/041­-9620.20111012.pnB4r...
• iPod touch 3G - appldnld.apple.com­/iPhone4­/061­-8360.20111012.New3w...
• iPod touch 4G - appldnld.apple.com­/iPhone4­/061­-9622.20111012.Evry3...
• Apple TV2 - appldnld.apple.com­/AppleTV­/061­-9621.20111012.Vgijx...

2.  After downloading the desired firmware, you can shift-click (PC) or option-click (Mac) the "Update" button in iTunes. A file dialog will open and let you choose the downloaded ipsw-file from your desktop.

3. Proceed with the upgrade as usual.

4. If you get Error -3002 at this point, try to do a Restore, rather than an Upgrade - remember to shift-click (or option-click on a Mac).

Please let me know if you have any issues with this procedure in the comments section below.

UPDATE - Similar solutions for iOS 5.1: http://obscureport.blogspot.com/2012/03/solution-to-ios-51-download-problems.html

Uncle Owen and Aunt Beru Immortalized At Last

The fans have been clamoring for years, and it seems the time has finally come - Uncle Owen and Aunt Beru in all of their molded plastic glory for your action figure playing pleasure!  Yes, the loving couple whose untimely passing after the droid were traced to their home launched Luke Skywalker on his galactic adventure.  None of this prequel nonsense, this is Owen and Beru Lars just as we remember them from A New Hope.  Maybe they should have let Luke go to the Academy with Biggs and Tank...

And speaking of Star Wars and untimely ends, from Dorkly comes "8 Lines That Would Have Ended Star Wars Real Fast".  In honor of Uncle Ben:

Get the rest of the list here:  http://www.dorkly.com/article/17253/8-lines-that-would-have-ended-star-wars-real-fast.

Lego + Star Wars + Christianity = Awesome

You just never know what those wacky Danish geniuses are going to come up with next.  Just in time for the holidays, Lego has announced their 2011 Advent Calendar Set - and It's Star Wars themed!

For each of the twenty-four days leading up to Christmas, there's a Star Wars Lego surprise.  There doesn't seem to be much linking the set to the birth of Jesus, and I am unfamiliar with St. Augustine's meditations on The Force, but love Santa Yoda you must:

It's available now from Lego's on-line shop for $39.99.

Google+ Review and Invites

Google+ has been around for "field testing" for just over a month.  There is tremendous buzz about the social networking product (unlike Google's last attempt at a Facebook killer, Google Buzz, which crashed and burned after a privacy backlash).  Google+ is up over 25 million users already, a staggering growth rate, but still far from the massive user bases of Facebook and Twitter, both of which it challenges in aspects of its functionality.  All this, it is still a closed, invite-only beta.

If you haven't gotten an invite yet, here's a link to sign up for the first 150 readers to click it:

https://plus.google.com/_/notifications/ngemlink?path=%2F%3Fgpinv%3D4ZZL4MQWqug%3AObznSkvj69M

If you do follow the link, please make sure to give me a +1!


On to the review - Google+ could definitely be the Facebook killer.  The interface is clean, without the games, surveys, quizzes and advertising which have come to dominate Facebook.  Sharing information, status updates, photos and video is a snap.  Google wraps in its Picasa and Youtube properties and provides pretty much unlimited space to save your photos and videos.

MLB.tv Blackout - Truth in Advertising At Last!

A while back I wrote a post about Major Leage Baseball's archaic blackout policies which disallow fans from watching their own home team over streaming services.  One of the mnost annoying things was the marketing from Major Leaguye Baseball which promised fans the ability to "Watch Baseball Everywhere".  It looks like MLB has finally gotten the message:

Of course, thousands of unhappy subscribers and complaints may have had something to do with it.

MLBTV - Truth in Advertising At Last!

A while back I wrote a post about Major Leage Baseball's archaic blackout policies which disallow fans from watching their own home team over streaming services.  One of the mnost annoying things was the marketing from Major Leaguye Baseball which promised fans the ability to "Watch Baseball Everywhere".  It looks like MLB has finally gotten the message:

Of course, thousands of unhappy subscribers and complaints may have had something to do with it.

Podcasts 101 - How to Subcribe and Listen to Podcasts in iTunes

I listen to podcasts on a daily basis and they have pretty much replaced talk radio for me. The ability to listen to shows on specific topics that you are interested in is amazing.  There are podcasts on finance, technology, sports teams, TV shows, movies, sciences, humor - just about anything you can think of. Most of them are free, as well!

I find that when I mention in conversation that I heard something on a podcast, I get a blank stare most of the time.  Simply put, podcasts are audio and in some cases video shows which are posted with an RSS subcription feed, so that you automatically get the new episodes as they become available.

Podcasts have yet to completely hit the mainstream, even though programs such as iTunes make it easy to find, subscribe to and listen to them.  There are audio-only podcasts, as well as video podcasts.  I prefer audio for use in the car, where its probably better not to have the distraction of video.  Here's a quick guide to get started:

1. Open iTunes and click on "iTunes Store" in the left navigation panel: