In fairness the grandparent was a semi-random thought that occurred to me on reading the OP. It's entirely possible I was projecting what I'd like LW to be about rather than accurately characterizing what it is about.

The 'minds' we discuss are quite often not specific to humans

Yep. That feels quite compatible with a hobbyist outlook though. I own one, you own one, we can compare the models we have and their specs, but it's also fun to speculate about what other models are out there, including the one that are out of practical reach, and even about what models could exist.

Investigations on, say, trends in 'forgiveness' behaviours among a selected population would never reach such a mammoth karma rating.

That seems again compatible with a hobbyist outlook: we're more interested in vignettes, field reports, even sheer bragging than we are in dry "scientific" investigation of our favorite plaything.

this one is neither particularly dedicated nor all that far ahead of the curve

Now you've made me really curious, which other communities did you have in mind? I'd appreciate pointers.