I stumbled across a site called Space Collective that features some wild topics and conversations as well as an innovative interface.
Visitors are given the option of viewing stories in a simple list format, sorted by headlines on the left and images and author name and avatar on the right. They're also given the option of viewing stories via a panel, with each story segmented into identical panels about the size of a deck of cards, stacked 5 wide and 10 deep.
Here's where it gets interesting. Clicking on a panel opens up story screen but through some Ajax-like call creates a dynamic story view that keeps the visitor on the same page. In the story view, the main element takes up the width of three panels; clicking to close the story view returns you to the full panel page.
I'm intrigued by the concept, and wonder about the possibilities as they relate to a site built simply around the concept of pure serendipity (this wouldn't work for a new site, where hierarchy is important). I'm also intrigued by Space Collective's use of an orange-tagged "Wild Card," which pulls in a random RSS feed from "related sources." (You can see an example in the upper right of the index-page screen grab).
A co-worker thinks it's poor UI because it's free form, has no real center of gravity and doesn't offer enough to keep a person coming back. I see his points, particularly if we were talking about a general information site, but I'm intrigued nonetheless. I see it as kind of like Current TV, which is freeform at its core.
I'll try visiting daily for a week to see if I get tired of the concept and whether the usability -- or lack thereof -- becomes an attraction or a distraction.
What do you think?