It's 3 a.m. and Dany Levy, founder of DailyCandy, is curled up with her laptop. While the rest of the world sleeps, she's dashing off e-mails and scouring her favorite news sites on the web.

"I just can't seem to get off my computer," says the self-confessed information addict. "It drives my friends and family mad. It even makes my boyfriends crazy."

Things got so bad, Levy tried handing over her computer to her doorman every night. That ritual lasted about one week. "I would lie in bed feeling that I should be doing something productive," she says.

While her information habits may be hard on her personal life, they have helped build one of the most popular e-mail newsletters in the country. Some 2.3 million subscribers devour DailyCandy every day—looking for the latest lifestyle updates on what's hot, fresh and undiscovered, whether it's that new sushi joint around the corner or this summer's must-read beach book.

When was the first time you understood the power of information?
As a kid, I was fascinated by the game of telephone and how stories could change. It's very interesting how two people can be given the same piece of information and process it entirely differently.

On a more professional level, I remember writing an article for DailyCandy about this little place that makes these fantastic donuts. Suddenly other magazines also wanted to feature them. Before you knew it, this little donut business had to move out of the garage and into a much bigger space. It's amazing how a little positive information can help launch a business.

When did you know you were an Inforati? What tipped you off?
I was not the most stylish kid on the block. But people would come to me when they wanted to know what they should get their mother for her birthday or where they should take their grandparents to dinner. I view myself as a sponge. Basically, it's my job to stand in the world and look around and make note of what's worth sharing and what's not.

Why are people so obsessed with what's hot?
I think it's an age-old human trait. It goes back to the days of Jane Austen, when people wanted to know what hat to wear and what milliner to go to. But I think there is now a greater immediacy to information. Just look at the attention span of kids. You can't go to a restaurant without bringing the portable DVD player because God forbid there's a quiet moment. Everyone needs to be constantly stimulated. Sometimes I'll see somebody staring off into space and I'll go, "Wow, I should do that more often."

There seems to be so much information—both useless and valuable—to wade through these days. How do you manage the information explosion?
I realized early on that I had an ability to weed through the schlock and find interesting things.

At DailyCandy, we have policy that if we don't like something, we won't write about it. That's because we don't want to waste people's time. No business is ever upset when they get the call from DailyCandy. We deliver one fun thing to your inbox everyday that will make you laugh or tell you something you didn't know or give you a place to eat tonight. I like that side of my personality better than being a more serious journalist who gets hate mail.

What are your top three information resources?
E-mail is tops. My other two are the New York Times and the Drudge Report, which I read for all the human-interest stories posted there. The only time I ever watch TV is on the treadmill.