regarding the statement "All 30 notaries still get ~1500 KMD" :
This is false, notary mining is dependent on several things. If the operator is inattentive the node will go down and you will get 0 KMD for how ever long the node is down. I check on network health at least weekly, often there are nodes that are offline.
You will do better backing a dedicated operator who is focused on maximizing uptime, and server located at a reliable FAST connection.
But in a perfect world with perfect NN operators, you are right, pick the node with the least amount of votes and get a bigger slice of the pie.
the '~' symbol means approximately bro, obviously if an operator falls asleep for a week and his node dies he'll earn less, but the system jl777 designed means every notary should earn "approx 1500 KMD" per month from here on, otherwise they wont get voted in a second time. Notary vigilance is definitely important at the margins, but it's not enough to give any one notary a significant advantage. I'm assuming the potential rewards from here on will mean the vast majority of nodes will have similar specs and be managed pretty well, and the pools will punish operators who run unreliable nodes. Too much money on the table now!
Some interesting game theory ahead, best strategy will be to spread votes around to even out the payouts.