Dates. Is there anyway you could set it up so it starts with current dates?

It takes a little while to catch on to the nuances of the forum but - when you click on a question or discussion take a moment to glance at the date below the posters name, also check whether you are in Newest First or Most Helpful mode.
Posts that don't generate any comments are supposed to be closed automatically after... 6 months I think?, I personally think that that is much too long. Many of the very old threads that have generated a lot of casual chit chat and become social forums can run on indefinitely.

Yes! When you're on the Forum page, l@@K to the right of the headline "Questions"

There are 3 blue boxes:
"Most Recent"
"Most Popular"
"Needs Answers"

I usually click "Needs Answers".

"Most Recent" I think means most recent activity, which could be someone answering a post, not just a new post.

Then when in someone's post near the live box where you actually type ("Post Answer"), click "Newest First" to start by reading the most recently added responses. Others may have a different method to find the latest posts.

The web page may look different if you're on a laptop v. tablet v. smartphone.