IMO that detector keeps too much actually good content off the front page. Your post needs to be engaging enough for folks to upvote but not too engaging for folks to comment otherwise it leaves the front page.

Yep, anything too controversial or exciting get buried. It's like to polar opposite of the Facebook ranking algorithm.

Seems ripe for manipulation, you could go start arguments in whatever threads you want to see downranked.

That's why I usually check out both default front page and "Most active current discussions" (https://news.ycombinator.com/active).

YCombinator naturally doesn't want divisive content on the front page as it hurts their brand.

It's not about "brand", it's about the mandate of the site. Intellectual curiosity and internet inflammation are at odds with each other.

> overheated discussion detector

First time hearing of this - it might explain (at least part of) what had been observed.