i never noticed the "recent topics" item on the menu!!!! :lol:
pretty nifty. looks useful if you only want to look at the newest posts regardless of where they're posted. BUT it pays to go to each of the sections individually also. otherwise, you might miss out on posts that are the most recent in a particular section, but "old" enough to get pushed pretty far down the list of "recent topics".
i check all the sections individually at least a few times a day. i still manage to miss things, but i try to keep up as best i can.