DaytonDailyNews.com

I hate self-help books. They pretty much say things my mother said (wisely), and if I didn't absorb them from her, a stranger probably isn't going to have much luck with me.

So it is, with reservation and an acknowledgement of the hypocrisy herein, that I'm offering you this counsel at the dawn of the New Year:

Buy an iPod.

It will make you a smarter person. It can also make you more fit if you use it as an audio diversion to get through a workout. I could never stay on a stationery bike for 30 minutes without either a newspaper (this is true, notwithstanding the shameless plug) or an iPod. Generally my routine is newspaper and bike first; iPod and weights second. (And you thought a person can't live in the old and new media.)

Even if you haven't resolved that this is the year that you're going to hit the gym, buy an iPod anyway. Everybody has time when "The Perfect Thing" — that's the title of a book by Steven Levy about the invention — will be useful, entertaining and enlightening.

Now to those of you who hate mastering gadgets: I can barely operate a television remote, but iPods are almost idiot-proof. Do not be intimidated. You have too much to lose.

There is nothing in the world that is not being reduced to a podcast — an audio file retrieved from the Internet for offline playback. And much of the content is free, even commercial-free to boot.

Apple Computer created the iPod for music lovers in 2001, and "The Perfect Thing" will tell you in great detail how the device quickly revolutionized the music industry (and, Levy argues, culture and commerce). You also will learn how the iPod shuffle really works, assuring you that it's just your imagination if you think that your iPod knows you better than you know yourself as reflected in the songs that it pulls up when you choose pot luck. The selection really, really is random.

But music isn't what I'm hooked on. It's the news programs, which are infinite. My husband is worse than I am. He takes his iPod to bed, prompting our high school exchange student last year to refer to it as his "mistress." (I always worried how that information got translated to her parents back home. Thankfully, they speak impeccable English, so let's hope they got the joke.)

Earlier this year, we were traveling and had downloaded museum tours before we left. It's so much easier to listen than to read from a guide book when you're trying to enjoy a place or take in a painting. Unlike with bulky audio guides, you don't have to pay, and you can listen to the tours in advance. I loved hearing about what I was going to see before I actually saw it.

To get started, check out National Public Radio's podcasts. They're categorized by topic (books, health, politics) and by program (The Diane Rehm Show and Fresh Air), among others.

I love the "most e-mailed stories" podcasts. These collections run about 30 to 40 minutes, they change daily, and I promise you that you'll hear fascinating stuff (and it's easy to skip over a segment that doesn't grab you). There really is something to the power of collective validation as reflected in "most e-mailed" lists — provided you're starting at a good source where people are serious about the information they consume.

I have a friend who devours podcasts from the British magazine, The Economist. I haven't really honed in on its selections, but I'm intrigued if only because the magazine is so pricey and I don't often get to read it.

So here's an idea. Send me your favorite podcasts or post them at our blog, DaytonDailyNews.com/opinionblog. Tell us about a single podcast or a feature that you listen to regularly. But it has to be newsy in the broad sense. That is, no wine or knitting podcasts. This recommendation list is for news hounds.

Help us vet the big digital world that's out there. Let us know what you've stumbled on. Help us learn from what you're listening to while you drive to work and walk the dog.

Ellen Belcher is editor of the Dayton Daily News editorial pages. Her telephone number is 225-2286; her e-mail address is ebelcher@DaytonDailyNews.com.