I APPRECIATE the criticism and want it, because if you find things wrong, I want to fix them if we and others agree it's an issue.
As for your similarity comparison, just wait
By next week we will have an all new format which we've been working on for the frontpage which will make tech news & site news totally different and MUCH more popular. It will also tie into the forums, which means we believe (hope) it will increase forum usage but a GOOD amount.
But the only thing I really only got the idea from Anand's was that featured article box, but that's really about it.
Also note, that there is a TOTALLY new design in the works (you can see a beta here:
http://www.slcentral.com/sldbbetatemplate), but that won't be launched for a GOOD amount of time, so don't expect that anytime soon.
If there is anymore issues, I urge you to post them as it definitely helps everything as a whole.
Also, this is the whole reason behind slow tech news
Expect a totally new format by next week.