I wouldn't attempt doing anything just yet. Hold off and wait for the hackers to do it somewhere, then follow their guides once they have an established one. After all, the current instructions are for the iphone, and only assumed to work with the iPod Touch. You wouldn't want a 400 dollar brick, would you?
No, but software mods don't void the warranty. And since it's the same OS . . .
Yes it is the same OS, but coded specific to device. You might want to listen to your Elders so that you aren't the very first "bricked" iPod Touch.
I'm downloading the firmware right now, If it works for a jailbreak, I'll post instructions shortly.
You can get iTunes to download the file for you. Independance wont work, IActivator crashes when trying to jailbreak the ipod.