Thanks a ton for your feedback.
Not many days go by where I don't remind myself how lucky I am to be running a site that has such a passionate user base.
In terms of the Hot Topic system thats been in place for about a decade I subscribe to the "if it ain't broke don't fix it" line of thinking. If looking for other threads to check out I'd encourage you to check out the "new/active" topics link where on any given days there's generally a wide variety of topics that might meet your particular interests. Also stay tuned toward the end of the month where I'll be unveiling the top discussion threads of 2016.... a listing that uses a formula that weighs both views and replies when ranking the years top threads. Cheers