Video: 'The Simpsons' marks 800 episodes | An AP Mini-documentary

Video: Marcia Lucas Perfectly Explains What the STAR WARS Sequels Got Wrong and What THE MANDALORIAN Got Right

Here's Marcia Lucas. She edited Star Wars (She won an Oscar for her work on A New Hope (1977)) and Indiana Jones. But, really, more than that. As the then-wife of George Lucas, she was part of the small group of people that shaped those franchises. She said to Lucas that Obi Wan should die in the fight with Vader and return as Luke's spiritual guide; an idea Lucas was considering. In another instance she said that Indiana Jones' love interest Marion be brought back to cap off the last scene of Raiders, and Spielberg and Lucas added it.

Here is a newly posted interview excerpt with her via Voltar:

The entire interview, via Nacelle Company, is here.

Vince Guaraldi: Earliest Television Recording of "Linus and Lucy"

 

From the Lee Mendelson Television Productions, Inc. YouTube page, here is the Peanuts TV specials composer, jazz musician Vince Guaraldi, performing the now-familiar "Linus and Lucy" theme from “The Short Stories of Guy de Maupassant Music Fillers Programs” (WNET, 1964). It hasn't been seen in over sixty years.


Vince Guaraldi – Piano

Tom Beeson – Bass

John Rae – Drums


 

 

Related: 

A Curated Vince Guaraldi Playlist of Peanuts® themes to honor 75 years of his music

The AI Cartoon Trend: Not About Fun, It Was About Your Data

 

The AI Cartoon Trend Wasn’t About Fun — It Was About Data
Let’s clear something up.
That AI cartoon trend didn’t explode because people suddenly discovered creativity. It blew up because it was a perfect data trap—simple, viral, voluntary, and massively profitable.
You didn’t just upload a picture and get a cartoon back.
You handed over:
Your face (biometric data)
Your expressions and features
Your behavior (what you click, how fast you comply)
Your habits and preferences
Your willingness to follow a trend without reading the fine print
That’s not “fun.”
That’s profiling.
This Is How Modern Data Harvesting Works
Nobody forces you anymore. They don’t need to.
They dress it up as:
A trend
A filter
A game
A joke
“Just for fun”
And people line up to participate.
When something is free, you are not the customer — you’re the product.
These apps aren’t built to entertain you. They’re built to collect, package, and sell behavioral data to advertisers, developers, political groups, and AI training models. Your cartoon wasn’t the end goal — it was the bait.
“People Are Just Having Fun”
That’s the lie people tell themselves to avoid thinking.
If you need an app to escape your life, that’s not harmless fun — that’s distraction. And distraction is the easiest state to manipulate.
The most valuable data isn’t stolen anymore.
It’s volunteered.
Smiling. Laughing. Clicking “I Agree.”
Why This Matters
Your face is permanent.
Your data footprint is permanent.
Your digital profile doesn’t disappear when the trend dies.
Once it’s collected, it’s:
Stored
Repurposed
Sold
Trained on
Cross-referenced
All without you ever seeing a dime.
This Isn’t Anti-Tech — It’s Pro-Awareness
Technology isn’t the enemy.
Blind compliance is.
Trends don’t happen by accident. They’re engineered. They’re tested. They’re launched for a reason.
And that reason is almost never you.
Final Thought
You didn’t make a cartoon.
You completed a profile.
Know the value of your data. Protect yourself. Question the trend.

— The Driver’s Side

Jim Keefe: ICE Out: Cartoonists Against ICE

My friend Jim Keefe (Sally Forth, Flash Gordon) has created a 4-panel comic as part of the #iceoutcomics campaign. #iceoutmpls

Singing Resistance in Minneapolis

 Via Doug Pagitt's Instagram:

"Outside a hotel housing ICE agents in Minneapolis with 1,600+ Minnesotans sing in the streets and hotels calling ICE agents to quit their immoral jobs and join the common good. 

"ICE agents, lay down your weapons and your bonus pay for your own sake and the good of our country. 

"Organized by @singingresistancetc"

 

Very touching moment as Minneapolis residents risk being pepper sprayed or shot. Worth clicking on to listen. (I can't embed the video, so click on the link to go to Instagram.) This is a beautiful moment in a terrible time.
 

 

 

Friday, January 30, 2026: National Shutdown

 

Image by Molly McLeod Design.

NationalShutdown.org