The current presented design doesn't seem to have or suggest at having any of your criticized elements. in fact what you're criticizing seems to be a hastily thrown together front end to a website that can host that one blogpost describing the HN redesign. Your comment is just an attack on the designer.
And pointing out such flaws in somebody's work is not a criticism of the person. Nor is it an "attack" on somebody to request that they have their house in order before trying to put the houses of others in order.
it is.
There's nothing conceptually wrong with a cleaner who has a dirty house. The measure of a cleaner is their work. If a good cleaner has a dirty house, then that doesn't make the cleaner's work bad by proxy. It just means the cleaner is a bit of a curiosity.
Tomte's comment might have value in a speculative setting (dubious value, but value). No speculation is needed when the work is on display.