The Verge reports: OpenAI, Meta, Google, Instinct, and others promise their agents can scour the internet on your behalf, doing anything from booking a dinner reservation and cleaning out your inbox to buying new shoes. But what happens when the rest of the internet won't play nice? In recent weeks, users of services like Meta's Muse, xAI's Grok, OpenAI's Dots, and Instinct have reported blocks preventing their AI agents from performing tasks across top websites. Yelp told TechCrunch that it only allows AI agents that pay for its data licensing program, while Delta Air Lines is preventing them from booking tickets on behalf of users. JPMorgan Chase and Charles Schwab have also confirmed that they're blocking AI agents from accessing accounts due to security concerns. Some users say sites that previously worked with their AI agent are no longer accessible, including Cars.com and Amtrak, suggesting other companies could be quietly blocking them.... Muse, Meta's deceptively cute AI assistant, most recently faced the wrath of Amazon, which said its "continued access" violates its site policies. There are reports of xAI's Grok, Instinct's AI agent, and OpenAI's Dots being unable to use Amazon as well. xAI owner Elon Musk responded by saying that maybe he "should start a competitor to Amazon." The more places bots struggle to access, the greater the questions about how useful they are.... Instead of trying to fight Amazon, [Meta] has partnered with retailers like Walmart, Gap, Sephora, Best Buy, and others, allowing Muse to shop on their sites. At the same time, Shopify has also opened its network of storefronts to AI agents.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

I love a craft that's really a hack for using up supplies purchased for another project.

I bought a super-cheap-on-clearance set of fabric paints for a couple bucks. We used the paint for a birthday party craft but had some left over.

(The project was "paint your own hats." It was fun AND served as a parting take-away for the guests. Just say no to goodie bags.)

One of the party guests suggested we could use up the paint by making window clings. Turns out, if you paint designs on wax paper using fabric paint, once dry you can peel them off and stick them to the window!

A couple days later, my daughter tested this theory and the results are pictured above.

Hers are simple freehand designs on wax paper, but you can also slide a line drawing into a plastic sheet protector and paint over it. You can also create marbled or stained glass effects by swirling the paint colors together with a toothpick.

Fun, quick diversion for summer and for Christmas or Halloween window decor.