Meredith Guthrie
@meredithea.bsky.social
Transplanted Texan. Media scholar at Pitt. Co-chair of Disability Studies and Disney Studies at MAPACA. Loves baseball, movies with explosions, and being contrary. She/her.
Reposted by Meredith Guthrie
Jerry: ok, how many of these... Agents? Do you have?
Kramer: oh, I don't know. I let them spawn!
Jerry: they can... Spawn?
Kramer: they wrote the number one app, Jerry! It's gone (rocket gesture) to the moon!
Jerry: what's the problem?
Kramer: I don't know what it does!
Kramer: oh, I don't know. I let them spawn!
Jerry: they can... Spawn?
Kramer: they wrote the number one app, Jerry! It's gone (rocket gesture) to the moon!
Jerry: what's the problem?
Kramer: I don't know what it does!
You can test new tech ideas using the Seinfeld Test
Would the product eliminate the plot of an episode? (Google maps, cell phones, paypal, battery packs)
Good tech.
Would the product inspire new Seinfeld plots? (NFTs, AI chatbots, crypto currency, blindboxes, metaverse land sales)
Bad tech.
Would the product eliminate the plot of an episode? (Google maps, cell phones, paypal, battery packs)
Good tech.
Would the product inspire new Seinfeld plots? (NFTs, AI chatbots, crypto currency, blindboxes, metaverse land sales)
Bad tech.
January 31, 2026 at 2:08 PM
Jerry: ok, how many of these... Agents? Do you have?
Kramer: oh, I don't know. I let them spawn!
Jerry: they can... Spawn?
Kramer: they wrote the number one app, Jerry! It's gone (rocket gesture) to the moon!
Jerry: what's the problem?
Kramer: I don't know what it does!
Kramer: oh, I don't know. I let them spawn!
Jerry: they can... Spawn?
Kramer: they wrote the number one app, Jerry! It's gone (rocket gesture) to the moon!
Jerry: what's the problem?
Kramer: I don't know what it does!
Never mind the jobs you had, five classes you took in college:
1. WWII in film
2. Magic & Witchcraft in the Middle Ages
3. Love is Stronger than Death (philosophy)
4. Introduction to Judaism
5. A 4 course series in ”great works” of literature, philosophy & art (same students took all 4 together)
1. WWII in film
2. Magic & Witchcraft in the Middle Ages
3. Love is Stronger than Death (philosophy)
4. Introduction to Judaism
5. A 4 course series in ”great works” of literature, philosophy & art (same students took all 4 together)
Never mind the jobs you had, five classes you took in college:
1. Women’s Lit
2. Sociology of Gender
3. Linguistics
4. Writing for TV and Film
5. Creative Writing: Fiction
1. Women’s Lit
2. Sociology of Gender
3. Linguistics
4. Writing for TV and Film
5. Creative Writing: Fiction
Never mind the jobs you had, five classes you took in college:
1. James Joyce*
2. Existentialism (for a religion requirement)
3. Mysticism (also for a religion requirement)
4. Early Romantic Writers
5. Prison Literacy (we tutored in a prison and learned about the injustice of mass incarceration)
1. James Joyce*
2. Existentialism (for a religion requirement)
3. Mysticism (also for a religion requirement)
4. Early Romantic Writers
5. Prison Literacy (we tutored in a prison and learned about the injustice of mass incarceration)
January 31, 2026 at 2:56 PM
Never mind the jobs you had, five classes you took in college:
1. WWII in film
2. Magic & Witchcraft in the Middle Ages
3. Love is Stronger than Death (philosophy)
4. Introduction to Judaism
5. A 4 course series in ”great works” of literature, philosophy & art (same students took all 4 together)
1. WWII in film
2. Magic & Witchcraft in the Middle Ages
3. Love is Stronger than Death (philosophy)
4. Introduction to Judaism
5. A 4 course series in ”great works” of literature, philosophy & art (same students took all 4 together)
Reposted by Meredith Guthrie
If you see this, don't participate. It's a rigged study by Lisa Littman and unethical researcher J. Michael Bailey meant to undermine access to care. Spread the word.
January 30, 2026 at 5:28 PM
If you see this, don't participate. It's a rigged study by Lisa Littman and unethical researcher J. Michael Bailey meant to undermine access to care. Spread the word.
Reposted by Meredith Guthrie
For The Ringer, I wrote about how amazing it was that the brilliant Catherine O'Hara finally became a superstar in her 60s, and how sad it is that she was taken from us just when we had all finally begun to appreciate her:
Catherine O’Hara Could Do Anything
And she pretty much did everything. The only tragedy is that it feels like she was just beginning to get the recognition her decades-long career always deserved.
www.theringer.com
January 31, 2026 at 1:33 AM
For The Ringer, I wrote about how amazing it was that the brilliant Catherine O'Hara finally became a superstar in her 60s, and how sad it is that she was taken from us just when we had all finally begun to appreciate her:
Pittsburgh friends: the Allegheny County Health Dept has issued an air pollution warning for today, so be careful about going outside and breathing, I guess? This could be related to the pollution controls breaking at the Clairton Coke plant. They claim it’s fixed, but… *stares at camera*
January 31, 2026 at 2:43 PM
Pittsburgh friends: the Allegheny County Health Dept has issued an air pollution warning for today, so be careful about going outside and breathing, I guess? This could be related to the pollution controls breaking at the Clairton Coke plant. They claim it’s fixed, but… *stares at camera*
The snow is taller than Rufus’s (our basset hound) tummy. He tried to pee and ended up barking at the snow.
January 25, 2026 at 11:15 PM
The snow is taller than Rufus’s (our basset hound) tummy. He tried to pee and ended up barking at the snow.
Pitt actually canceled in person classes for tomorrow! They haven’t done that since Snowmageddon in 2010! #H2P #Pittsburgh
January 25, 2026 at 11:00 PM
Pitt actually canceled in person classes for tomorrow! They haven’t done that since Snowmageddon in 2010! #H2P #Pittsburgh
Reposted by Meredith Guthrie
People Mag doesn't change the conversation of moderate middle-class women — it channels it. Here's what it's channeling right now
January 25, 2026 at 6:20 PM
People Mag doesn't change the conversation of moderate middle-class women — it channels it. Here's what it's channeling right now
Reposted by Meredith Guthrie
Reminder to all my European colleagues: If you have any meetings scheduled with Americans for Monday, especially in the morning, check this graphic to see if they are likely to be affected by power outages. Anyone in pink and purple may well have no power. (img src www.weather.gov)
January 24, 2026 at 1:41 PM
Reminder to all my European colleagues: If you have any meetings scheduled with Americans for Monday, especially in the morning, check this graphic to see if they are likely to be affected by power outages. Anyone in pink and purple may well have no power. (img src www.weather.gov)
It’s super cold out, so stay safe!
- never plug space heaters into extension cords or power strips (this is a fire hazard)
- keep flammable objects (blankets!) far away from heaters
- keep wee ones far away from heaters (I have a burn scar from a heater)
- never plug space heaters into extension cords or power strips (this is a fire hazard)
- keep flammable objects (blankets!) far away from heaters
- keep wee ones far away from heaters (I have a burn scar from a heater)
January 24, 2026 at 2:26 PM
It’s super cold out, so stay safe!
- never plug space heaters into extension cords or power strips (this is a fire hazard)
- keep flammable objects (blankets!) far away from heaters
- keep wee ones far away from heaters (I have a burn scar from a heater)
- never plug space heaters into extension cords or power strips (this is a fire hazard)
- keep flammable objects (blankets!) far away from heaters
- keep wee ones far away from heaters (I have a burn scar from a heater)
Reposted by Meredith Guthrie
Hey speaking of cannibalism, @sorchanf.bsky.social has a fab piece in Teen Vogue* that I never shared.
*written before they went to shit so don’t hold that against her
*written before they went to shit so don’t hold that against her
Is the Cannibal Girl Trend Just Diet Culture in Disguise?
“A new monster comes in to speak to whichever cultural trauma we’re experiencing,” says horror film scholar Sorcha Ní Fhlainn, PhD.
www.teenvogue.com
January 24, 2026 at 2:06 PM
Hey speaking of cannibalism, @sorchanf.bsky.social has a fab piece in Teen Vogue* that I never shared.
*written before they went to shit so don’t hold that against her
*written before they went to shit so don’t hold that against her
Talking to my family in N. Texas this morning. They’re iced in but still have water & power. They bought more fuel for their generator when Ted Cruz left the state. That’s how they knew the storm would be super bad. 😆
January 24, 2026 at 2:21 PM
Talking to my family in N. Texas this morning. They’re iced in but still have water & power. They bought more fuel for their generator when Ted Cruz left the state. That’s how they knew the storm would be super bad. 😆
😒 Costas is my nemesis because in the 90s he said the Rangers were “everything wrong with baseball” and I’m really good at holding a grudge.
January 23, 2026 at 5:00 PM
😒 Costas is my nemesis because in the 90s he said the Rangers were “everything wrong with baseball” and I’m really good at holding a grudge.
Excellent advice
I'm sure you've heard this before and I don't want to sound like a scratched record but if you're someplace that doesn't usually get storms and cold like this one, or you've only recently moved to someplace that does, treat this fucker with the respect you would give a kaiju.
January 23, 2026 at 4:49 PM
Excellent advice
Today in my History of the Sitcom class we watched 2 episodes of The Goldbergs (from the 1950s) produced, written by, and starring Gertrude Berg. How did we forget such a powerhouse?
My library system doesn't have the doc about her "Yoo-hoo, Mrs. Goldberg!" but I'd love to see it!
My library system doesn't have the doc about her "Yoo-hoo, Mrs. Goldberg!" but I'd love to see it!
January 20, 2026 at 6:40 PM
Today in my History of the Sitcom class we watched 2 episodes of The Goldbergs (from the 1950s) produced, written by, and starring Gertrude Berg. How did we forget such a powerhouse?
My library system doesn't have the doc about her "Yoo-hoo, Mrs. Goldberg!" but I'd love to see it!
My library system doesn't have the doc about her "Yoo-hoo, Mrs. Goldberg!" but I'd love to see it!
Baker is my Doctor. I went to a daycare that only played TV during parent pickup. If we were good that day, we got to watch Dr. Who on PBS (they showed Baker's Doctor!). If we were bad, we had to watch Father Knows Best. Informs my taste in TV to this day.
January 20, 2026 at 6:34 PM
Baker is my Doctor. I went to a daycare that only played TV during parent pickup. If we were good that day, we got to watch Dr. Who on PBS (they showed Baker's Doctor!). If we were bad, we had to watch Father Knows Best. Informs my taste in TV to this day.
Reposted by Meredith Guthrie
I like how someone filmed it like The Office
January 20, 2026 at 5:07 PM
I like how someone filmed it like The Office
I talked to a reporter at The Pitt News about the new student loan limits on "non professional" graduate degrees.
Updated list of ‘professional’ degree programs spark widespread controversy - The Pitt News
Last year, the Trump administration and U.S. Department of Education declared new loan limits for recently-classed “professional” and “graduate” degrees, which could have future implications for under...
pittnews.com
January 20, 2026 at 5:47 PM
I talked to a reporter at The Pitt News about the new student loan limits on "non professional" graduate degrees.
Reposted by Meredith Guthrie
Happy Penguin Day everyone!
January 20, 2026 at 3:19 PM
Happy Penguin Day everyone!
No one sleeps as hard as a sleepy basset hound.
January 20, 2026 at 1:07 PM
No one sleeps as hard as a sleepy basset hound.
Bee demanded to go outside and now she’s mad about it (we are leash training her. It’s hilarious). She’s warming up by the heater vent.
January 20, 2026 at 1:06 PM
Bee demanded to go outside and now she’s mad about it (we are leash training her. It’s hilarious). She’s warming up by the heater vent.
Reposted by Meredith Guthrie
Wage theft on a massive scale.
In April 2024, Spotify implemented a new scheme: songs with less than 1k streams per year would no longer receive royalties.
The data for 2025 was just released via Luminate, and 88% of songs have been demonetized.
Read it again: 88% of songs on Spotify have been demonetized.
The data for 2025 was just released via Luminate, and 88% of songs have been demonetized.
Read it again: 88% of songs on Spotify have been demonetized.
January 16, 2026 at 2:57 PM
Wage theft on a massive scale.
Yiiiiikes. (A whole chapter of my dissertation deals with Lolita and how it’s been misinterpreted by Hollywood.)
Love an allusion to Nabokov's Lolita from ::checks notes:: Dave & Busters
January 16, 2026 at 3:05 PM
Yiiiiikes. (A whole chapter of my dissertation deals with Lolita and how it’s been misinterpreted by Hollywood.)
I didn't intend to do it all in one marathon session, but you do what you gotta do when you're sick the entire break (flu then bronchitis, yay! My kids all got pneumonia. This flu is no joke, friends.)
One more class to get ready tomorrow. Hopefully it won't take as long!
One more class to get ready tomorrow. Hopefully it won't take as long!
I spent 11 hours today getting my History of the Sitcom class ready to go (class starts Tuesday!). I'm both exhausted and SUPER excited.
Adding in a bunch of @mattbaume.bsky.social 's book to the class!
Adding in a bunch of @mattbaume.bsky.social 's book to the class!
January 11, 2026 at 3:09 AM
I didn't intend to do it all in one marathon session, but you do what you gotta do when you're sick the entire break (flu then bronchitis, yay! My kids all got pneumonia. This flu is no joke, friends.)
One more class to get ready tomorrow. Hopefully it won't take as long!
One more class to get ready tomorrow. Hopefully it won't take as long!
I spent 11 hours today getting my History of the Sitcom class ready to go (class starts Tuesday!). I'm both exhausted and SUPER excited.
Adding in a bunch of @mattbaume.bsky.social 's book to the class!
Adding in a bunch of @mattbaume.bsky.social 's book to the class!
January 11, 2026 at 3:08 AM
I spent 11 hours today getting my History of the Sitcom class ready to go (class starts Tuesday!). I'm both exhausted and SUPER excited.
Adding in a bunch of @mattbaume.bsky.social 's book to the class!
Adding in a bunch of @mattbaume.bsky.social 's book to the class!