Download podcasts? iTunes does that for me, mostly automatically - didn't even bother looking for any 3rd party software for them. I apologize as this doesn't really help you at all.
I don't think so, but my Wii was having some disc read issues, even if a game was brand new, so I decided to play it safe and send it in while it was still under the warranty.
Dragging this thing from a grave, but I ended up buying a used SB3 from Zach and it arrived today. The setup went painlessly without a hitch. I must say I'm really loving it so far in the short time I've had it - I am a gadget whore, after all.
They are.
Of course, it was kind of gross since as I started eating, Napoleon Dynamite was showing the scene where chicken farmers are drinking raw eggs.