It's because NFTs are a scam and people are getting tired of having to repeat that bit of old news.

No, it's because the topic has become the same flamewar, endlessly repeated, and those are off topic for HN.

If you look at /lists at the bottom of the page, there's something called /active which is sort of backdoor into (mostly) flamewar land. It's the kind of thing you like if you like that kind of thing.

That makes more sense, thanks. I suppose that's also why I don't really look in there that often, but now that it's described as flamewar central I can put a label on the 'why'.

What's the deal with that? Never seen a thread drop off so quickly before.

I'm pretty new to HN how does the sorting algorithm work for HN stories anyway?

This is in the FAQ: https://news.ycombinator.com/newsfaq.html

It’s at 123 point, submitted 3 hours ago, but there are posts on the frontpage from 6 hours ago with just 106 points.

So it’s either overheated discussion or moderator decision, which of them is it?

Both.

Appreciate the work you do to keep this site civil. Is downweighing through moderator action a binary feature or is the pressure adjustable depending on the moderator's discretion?

It's adjustable in the sense that there are different weights.

sounds overheated