[Zero]

Is not available when I am signed in, but is when I am not. Is this by design or am I missing something?

You mean the 'view new posts' thing? I think if you log out, it sets a new cookie and thus there wouldn't be any new posts since your last visit. When you log in, the cookie stores when you were last viewing the board and the board can then display all new threads/posts since that time.

[Zero]

OK. So 'view new posts' is custom for my signon and 'view today's active threads' is generic for a non-member.

Yep! I just tested it and that's how it worked.