I've been doing some pruning of subscribed threads, and I recently made the search function for members only, which has decreased the load quite a bit. I've done some other stuff as well, but I don't think any single thing has made a huge difference. However, I think the recent changes added together have made a noticeable difference for the better.
Keep up the good work Baron! I for one enjoy the time I spend on ET each day and don't consider it wasted. But then again where else can I go to get good jokes! lol Bsulli