frontpage configuration

Is there any way to configure what shows up on the frontpage of the site?  I just upgraded to 1.8 and I can't find anyway to configure what shows up on my frontpage.  Right now, my activity stream shows up and it looks ugly.   do I perhaps need a new theme?

Beginning Developers

Beginning Developers

This space is for newcomers, who wish to build a new plugin or to customize an existing one to their liking