I think what we're seeing is the effect of no-downvotes. If something comes up which seems "really freeking cool" to a specific 4% demographic (and annoying to

I think what we're seeing is the effect of no-downvotes. If something comes up which seems "really freeking cool" to a specific 4% demographic (and annoying to 10%), it can get more upvotes than something that seems mildly interesting to 20% of the site. In person, when there is no algorithm, social norms ARE the algorithm. Maybe that'll work here too, maybe not. Good luck.