The biggest mistake in that re-design is assuming Helvetica Nue and Arial are good design choices. They are crunched together. Both are harder to read compared

The biggest mistake in that re-design is assuming Helvetica Nue and Arial are good design choices. They are crunched together. Both are harder to read compared to the current Verdana title and body text. For a minimalist site like HN, Verdana is the ideal font for readability. I prefer the current style. To be honest, 99% of what makes HN work is the choice of Verdana.