I can usually power through the RSS feed pretty quickly. My reader shows only titles, so I swipe on a lot of stuff that doesn’t seem relevant. I can then take my time with the good stuff.
Indeed. Some of the most interesting stories on HN never make it past the initial filter. I've seen great posts slip by in obscurity only to get hundreds of votes and hit the front page weeks or months later. There's a lot indeterminism in what makes it to the front page(s) and what doesn't.