I really like this idea to put a number next to new, making it feel like an inbox. People will end up clicking it based on their need to "empty the inbox" built up from email management.
DEAR GOD NO! Please don't do this, most of us already have enough inboxes.
The only thing I like about non-time-series sites like HN is that it just isn't in their nature to ever be something inbox-like. It's the sole saving grace of having a voting system, especially with vote-ranked threaded discussion -- it keeps it from ever being something I have to "catch up with" regularly.
That's probably the most minimalist incentive you can give to increase New pageviews, and fairly easy to implement. (Edit: updated the original post with this suggestion.)
