I can't speak for everyone else, but in this case we were hoping to create something that could stand on its own and (hopefully) grow over time as more datasets are added. The domain wasn't registered just to get on HN - the idea lent itself to a simple site of its own, so why not use a fitting domain name?
hn_decay|14 years ago
http://blog.yafla.com/Demystifying_Benfords_Law
Best page I've seen on it.