The primary reason I redesigned yesterday was to get back some of the simplicity I started with after my reboot in 2005. People who know me (especially in the web development realm) know that I like to talk about simplicity a lot. It's the base of all of my thoughts on web and application design and I always strive for very simple things that work well.
"Simplicity" should not be confused with "lacking" or "incomplete."
For what they are, weblogs can become complicated very quickly. We're talking about a collection of writing (interspersed with photos, links and such from time to time), and yet I'll frequently see weblogs that have three or more columns. If you have two sidebars, you're probably complicating things.
My primary interest in running this site is to write. I've noticed the more random stuff, structure or layout metaphors I add to the site, the less I write. And usually, the writing is more fractured, unfocused and sloppy.
In 2005, I banished all the old content and started anew with an extremely simple layout. No comments, no archives, no titles, just searching and content. Over the past two years, I've slowly crept back to complication and this is an attempt to get back to that better place.
I said it back then and I'll say it again: Getting rid of post titles and comments is the best thing you can do for your content. I've been without comments for over two years and I don't ever plan on bringing them back. I turned titles on for the last design and immediately regretted it. I am so thrilled they're gone again.