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 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.
My friend Jim Keefe (Sally Forth, Flash Gordon) has created a 4-panel comic as part of the #iceoutcomics campaign. #iceoutmpls
"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.
Sal Buscema, best known for his work at Marvel Comics for The Avengers, The Incredible Hulk, ROM, The Defenders, co-creating Peter Parker: The Spectacular Spider-Man, The New Mutants, Thor and others, passed away on Friday. He was 89 years old.
Sal was a prolific artist and writer whose career began during Marvel's Silver Age. He drew every major superhero for both Marvel and DC.
From ComicsBeat:
"Buscema started his comics career as an inker, working with his brother John Buscema at Dell Comics. It would take years for him to come out from under John’s shadow and establish himself as a talent in his own right. He worked primarily at Marvel in from 1968 through the ’70s and ’80s, then moved to DC for a few years in the ’90s before returning 'home' to Marvel.
"During his time at the Big Two, Buscema worked on a wide variety of titles, from Avengers and Thor to The Uncanny X-Men and The New Mutants to Superman and Batman titles during his brief stint at DC. He is arguably most associated with his run on The Spectacular Spider-Man with writer J.M. DeMatteis, and his work on ROM Spaceknight (although his Hulk is pretty iconic).
"Before the news of Buscema’s death broke this afternoon, DeMatteis celebrated his former collaborator’s landmark birthday on BlueSky, writing, 'Sal Buscema turns 90 today. There’s hardly a Marvel character Sal hasn’t left his mark on, from Cap to the Hulk, Avengers to Thor. Working with Sal for two years on Spectacular Spider-Man remains a highlight of my career. And the best part? He’s not just a great artist, he’s a truly good guy.'
"Buscema married his wife Joan in 1960, and they had three children together, named Joe, Tony, and Mike. After retiring from regular comics work, he continued to connect with fans via commissions, keeping a steady trickle of new Sal Buscema art popping up online over the years."
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Last month, I was interviewed by the Creative Artists of New England. It was a terrific interview with some challenging questions by CANE President and Founder Ronan Dwyer and Social Media Manager/Treasurer and Founder Erika Ventura.
Here's a short snippet via their Instagram:
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