Television
Bridgerton Season 4: A Predictable Turn and Diminished Intrigue
When season 3 of Bridgerton wrapped up, I genuinely thought it would be the show’s swan song. Penelope’s marriage provided a satisfying conclusion to her romantic journey, while the long-awaited reveal that she was Lady Whistledown finally brought her secret life into the open. With both of these major storylines seemingly resolved, it felt as though the series had reached a natural stopping point, leaving few significant loose ends. That’s why the announcement of a fourth season caught me off guard. Still, as someone who’s thoroughly enjoyed the previous seasons and is a fan of historical fiction, I was curious to see what direction the story would take next.
By Sarah Xenosabout 6 hours ago in Critique
Stassi Schroeder: The Gender Gap in Accountability
Stassi Schroeder. The #OOTD creator, the queen bee of SUR, the blueprint of the strong-willed woman. Many believe that Lisa Vanderpump's hit reality television show Vanderpump Rules would not have been nearly as successful without Nastassia Schroeder's strong opinions and intense personality.
By Autumn Hendersona day ago in Critique
Small Prophets
Introduction I enjoyed Mackenzie Crook's first series, "Detectorists" which I wrote about here: So when "Small Prophets" was announced, I was obviously tempted and was glad I was. If you have access to the BBC's iPlayer, you can watch it here:
By Mike Singleton 💜 Mikeydred 13 days ago in Critique
Speaking to Time Instead of the Room
Much of modern communication is oriented toward immediacy. Writing is framed as something meant to be consumed quickly, reacted to instantly, and replaced just as fast by whatever comes next. Under this model, the value of a piece is measured almost entirely by its initial reception. If it does not land immediately, it is treated as a failure. This assumption narrows the purpose of writing and misunderstands how meaning actually travels through time.
By Peter Thwing - Host of the FST Podcast14 days ago in Critique
Practice vs Performance
One of the quiet pressures shaping modern communication is the assumption that anything written should be immediately shareable. Drafts blur into declarations, and exploration is mistaken for conclusion. Under this pressure, writing becomes performative by default. The moment words are placed on a page, they are treated as finished statements rather than steps in a process. This expectation distorts both how writing is produced and how it is received, collapsing practice into performance and leaving little room for genuine development.
By Peter Thwing - Host of the FST Podcast15 days ago in Critique
AI as a Reflective Surface
Much of the confusion surrounding artificial intelligence comes from treating it as an agent rather than a surface. When people speak about AI “doing the thinking,” “creating the ideas,” or “speaking for someone,” they are often projecting agency onto a system that does not possess intention, belief, or understanding. This projection obscures what is actually happening in many real-world uses. In those cases, AI is not acting as a source of meaning, but as a surface that reflects, redirects, and reshapes what is already present.
By Peter Thwing - Host of the FST Podcast23 days ago in Critique
When Is a Move Final?
The Commitment Problem in Modern Chess Modern chess operates under a fractured commitment model that no longer aligns with how players think, how turns function in most games, or how chess itself is actually played across physical and digital formats. At the heart of the problem is that chess treats physical contact with a piece as binding commitment while simultaneously relying on a separate explicit action to end a player’s turn. This creates a logical contradiction: a move becomes final before the turn is over. In most turn-based games, interaction with game components is provisional until the player explicitly signals the end of their turn. Chess is an anomaly in this respect, and the inconsistency becomes increasingly visible in modern play.
By Peter Thwing - Host of the FST Podcastabout a month ago in Critique
