So why can exactly are you able to listen to music on your iPod and not Podcasts? Is it that you only listen to your iPod for 3 minutes at a time to hear a single song? Or is it perhaps that you just aren't really all that interested in any of the Podcasts you've heard? Nothing wrong with that.
Personally, I listen to a lot more Podcasts (everything on IT Conversations, Democracy Now, and several others) than I do music. Just suits me better. I usually listen while I'm at work or commuting by bus in the morning. Also I listen while cleaning, doing laundry, washing dishes, or cooking. There's lots of time to listen without having to schedule an hour to sit under a tree.
Does timeshifting work?