Real[ity] criticism definitely takes a hit when a craft/hobby becomes popularized such that juicy reviews aggrandize. A vicious cycle forms, such that the proje

Real[ity] criticism definitely takes a hit when a craft/hobby becomes popularized such that juicy reviews aggrandize. A vicious cycle forms, such that the projects with the most incredible claims get debunked by popular people -- which causes more people to check out the project and use it. Rinse and repeat. One of the least bad things is that for open-source projects, usually even if a project is built badly before it attains it's five minutes of fame, newly minted contributors often turn the ship around if the original architects have a shred of humility. It's not all bad...