This is pretty cool but I don't understand why everything now needs to be made to look like Pinterest. Does it really offer that much of a usability improvement?

It's much worse, in my opinion, nothing beats a straight stream.

If it's not for you, that's fine. I think you're overlooking the fact that many people will find it interesting.

Interesting, yes. The aesthetic is very nice. But the Pinterest look seems pretty terrible from a UX perspective.

If you have a wide screen you will know why it is so useful to me!

It is improves much for wide screen users!