As for the column thing -- this is something I use every day, so I designed it mostly for repeat usage. I didn't want to pin a header or add extraneous text to make that clear. Use it for a while, and it should become second nature that points is closest to the story description.
Of course if I used it often enough I'm sure I'd remember which was points and which was comments, but when you make a choice like that you should remember you are forcing the users to learn and remember that. There are going to be users that simply don't like being forced to do that extra mental effort.