I know this topic seems dead, but I was going to start a new topic the same subject so I will reuse.

I would also like to see a few more options for Active Topics for example:

View topics in the last 24 hours - I normally check at least once a day, but if I check at lets say 5pm and don't check back until the next day. If I click on Today's Active Topics, I miss from 5pm to midnight from the day before.

View topics since last visit - Like others have suggested, if you don't visit for a few days, it's easy to catch up without looking hard.

Just things to consider.