First thoughts: It's ugly, overloaded with unnecessary stuff (why on earth would you put that gray "about" sidebar there?), I hate infinite scrolling, and you can't tell how many comments something has just by looking at the "Discuss" link.
just because he isnt treating his comment like a hugbox invitation doesnt mean it isnt constructive
If your argument is more about questioning the "civil" component, then that's fair, but communicating in a way that obfuscates your message by eliciting negative emotions/reactions in your intended recipient isn't exactly efficient either. We all function better with a clear head.
It is a little over loaded with info, I do like the simplicity of HN, try looking at the HN redesign concept that was posted a few days ago.
Apart from those (let's face it: pedantic) things I like the look of it. I'll sign up.