That bit of "flair" was added almost on a whim. I'm glad I did add it. I think that helped the experiment get the attention it did, especially when it got onto Reddit. It's funny how a simple factor can (probably) have such a big impact.

Also, the unintentional "mystery" of not including any information about the who or why on the site itself may have helped. I noticed many comments on HN and Reddit that speculated about each, which no doubt increased the activity profile. A little bit of personality goes a long way.