Trending Tech News: Feedback please

I've been working on this site for a few months, now, and it has gone through many iterations to get where it is.

I'm not a designer, at all. My pride in the site is in its algorithms for compiling and ranking the headlines. I've tried keeping it dead-simple, no frills, no annoying social networking junk and, for now, no ads. This is something I'd like to see from a news site, since I just want the news. But does everyone else feel this way? Should I abandon this approach for a more traditional, prettier one?

Design and UX aside, does the functionality appeal to you? Does it seem to serve the right kind of headlines?

Here's the site: http://technosplode.com