...although it's in black.  it's just one of the great mysteries of life.  I may have to PM fellow hobbyist Stephen Hawking to get his opinion.

been here for a week or so and haven't figured it out.

Well,  my browser turns the text red after I have looked at that particular item.

If you scroll down the top page of any board, you see that some posts display the date and time in red, but nothing else. Not the poster's name. Nothing else. This question has been asked for years, but I have never seen an authoritative explanation.