I wouldn't read too much into it. It is a common pattern in HN that a popular post on a topic will cause a spate of postings on the same topic by other HN read

I wouldn't read too much into it. It is a common pattern in HN that a popular post on a topic will cause a spate of postings on the same topic by other HN readers. That's simply because HN readers will often do some additional web surfing on that topic, and then share back some HN worthy discoveries. It's a virtuous cycle.