Ah, I see. Then I'd recommend you use HN's “new” page instead. It gives you that exact advantage you seek, of knowing that when you recognise a headline (perha

Ah, I see. Then I'd recommend you use HN's “new” page instead. It gives you that exact advantage you seek, of knowing that when you recognise a headline (perhaps by it showing up as “followed” in your browser), then you've seen the ones after (i.e. chronologically before) it, and it gives you the chance to see the ones that didn't make the front page. Now sure, the HN algo really isn't all that bad; if you do this, you'll get to scan past a lot of dross. But every once in a while, there's a pearl in amongst the muck, some quirky bit of stuff that speaks to you, even though it didn't to almost all of the readership whose input the algorithm is based on. That's what I do (when I'm at my most compulsive).