@CarolleU
Two ways to still the noise are ostrich mode and closing the firehouse stream. No algorithm here to only show you what it thinks you should see, so it can seem overwhelming at first.
@Jeber I am a compulsive daily cookie-wiper so Ostrich mode never persists for me and it is (sorry) a pain to re-enable it every time I log in. It does help, tho. Thank you for mentioning it again.
Basically, I want a one-column stream that is easy on the eyes...