I like how you follow HN's lead and make read content headlines a lighter gray. But there's no corresponding effect for the screenshot slides. That definitely reduces the usefulness of the read state.
Yup. You can set opacity for elements in all modern browsers. IE6, too.
On some sites, I've used it as a subtle hover state for image links, so they "pop" a little. (Set the default opacity to 92% and have it go to 100% on hover.)
I like how you follow HN's lead and make read content headlines a lighter gray. But there's no corresponding effect for the screenshot slides. That definitely reduces the usefulness of the read state.