100% agree! I think something else that needs to be considered is fixing the reputation score. I really like the idea of User Authority that has been discussed. (Actually, it looks like you upvoted this post already, Thanks! I'm assuming that means that you already read it...)
Also another huge weakness that you alluded to is the trending page. I think that our feeds need a huge upgrade. I just finished my proof of concept of this idea. (I am just squashing bugs right now and looking for people to help me test it). Basically it is a feed that uses your voting history to determine people that vote similarly to you and shows you more things that those people have voted on. It has helped me find many great posts (like this one!)