With all due respect, am I alone in thinking there is a lot of echo in HN at the moment, with much of it not really hacker related? Example...

http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=218496 http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=218540 http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=218550

The in-season dates for startup and programming news seem to be in the months preceeding YCombinator application due dates. I think the combination (pun) of a startup mindset at those times (possibly in both voting and submitting), and users trying to get some posts in, could be why.

Should/is there any guidance to use on HN? Is it doomed to be another digg/reddit/etc. clone?

Guidlines are pretty clear - http://ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html

Thanks, must have missed this.

It is interesting what is fair for the Drudge Report is not fair for the Drudge Retort... I doub't if they can have it both ways unless if the Drudge Report has a sepcial license, which I am sure they don't.

A good analysis of the problem.