Like sfk, I don't think its popularity makes it any more valid, though similarly I also don't mean to single you out. Linking and sharing information is undoubtedly one of the foundations of the internet, but at the same time identity/anonymity is important. Backtype provides an interesting consumer service, but at the same time its plugin is destructive to maintenance of identity.
If you're drawing from HN, separate it clearly from the comments left on at your blog and somehow summarize, emulate, or eliminate threads. Otherwise it's damaging to all around.
And it's equally idiotic on your blog as it is on hundreds of other blogs. What is the point of having the same "content" posted over and over again in a multitude of venues?
I agree - i removed the plugin. It worked better when most of the conversation around my content happened on FriendFeed, where the conversation was much more fractured. HN is different and FF is dead so I decided to remove it.
