What OS/browser are you using? What is your issue with the font? edit: Others seemed to be saying the same thing. I switched to a sans family stack. Let me know if that is better.
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.