Another good one is MetaFilter. They charge some minimal fee (like $5 or something) to allow users to comment or post so you really only see people who are there to contribute and every entry is usually a sort of meta-entry containing multiple links all revolving around one theme (and sometimes its a youtube video of a dog being chased by a turtle but those are the exception and not the rule).
I love meFi. It has quality content, generally respectful users, and good moderators. And the interface is clean!
I think what killed Digg was people realizing they can monetize liking stuff to get it to the front page. Suddenly it is a competition to get the most "clients" and thus people start posting drivel to Digg.
I love the new layout. It's like, oddly enough, a newspaper.
It does add a very pleasant air of legitimacy to the front page. It feels like the focus is on the content, rather than the social network garbage that bombards people on every other site.
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Sounds like I gots me some heroes journey to be having.