AI bot makes recipes from almost anything in your pantry

Sometimes, an artificially intelligent search bot doesn’t know beans about beans. It can even confuse poison with food.

Ars Technica bloggers went to saveymeal-bot.co.nz, where a robot creates recipes from what you have on hand. When the bloggers typed “ammonia, bleach and water,” they got a recipe for “the perfect non-alcoholic beverage to quench your thirst.”

To avoid disasters, the site now asks you to choose ingredients from a list. From my humorous choices, they created “Pickled Spaghetti Surprise.” It included jam, olives, pickles and mayo.

Turning serious, I got a surprisingly tasty “Creamy Peanut Noodle Stir Fry.”

To try it yourself, go to saveymeal-bot.co.nz, and click “Get Savey.” Then choose your ingredients. Happy cooking.

SHARING YOUR LOCATION

I love sharing my location with a close friend. But it works better if I keep the Google Maps app open while I’m sharing.

With the map app open, your location updates quickly, sometimes within 30 seconds. With Maps closed, it can be slow. Your friend might be looking at your location from five minutes before. You might be a mile away, speeding along in a car.

To set up location sharing, open the Google Maps app on your phone and tap your profile picture. Now tap “Location sharing,” then “New share.” From there, choose your contact. Stop sharing anytime by tapping your profile picture, then location sharing, then your friend’s name, then “stop.”

BUBBLE MANIA

I find it easy to ignore text messages. Bubbles save me.

By turning on bubbles in my Android phone, each new text message floats above my home screen, forcing me to deal with it.

Here’s how to add bubbles to your Android: Tap the

Messages app on an Android phone, then tap your profile picture in the upper right. Next tap “Message Settings,” then “Bubbles.” Your choices are: All conversations can bubble, selected conversations can bubble, or nothing will bubble. I chose bubbles for all.

I couldn’t find the equivalent for iPhones. But to avoid missing important texts, select a special tone for your loved one. Open the Contacts app, select one, tap “Edit” then tap “Text Tone.” You can also allow certain text alerts to come through even when Do Not Disturb is on.

To choose a text tone on my Android, I tap a conversation, then tap the three vertical dots in the upper right corner. Then I tap “Details,” then “Notifications,” then “Sound,” and choose a new one. To get to “Sound,” you may have to tap “Advanced” first.

APP HAPPY

To animate old photos, colorize and repair them, the app “Reimagine” from MyHeritage.com does a great job. Though it costs $50 a year, you might get your old photos retouched during the free trial period.

Reimagine’s most astonishing feature is animation, which can turn a photo of your great-grandparents into a brief video clip. Watch them smile, dance, blow a kiss and more. But don’t forget to cancel before the free trial ends if you don’t want your credit card charged.

To cancel any iPhone app, open the app store, tap your picture, then tap “Subscriptions.” On an Android, open the Google Play app, tap your picture, then tap “Payments & subscriptions.”

WI-FI CALLING

Every time I get a new phone, I have to remember to turn on Wi-Fi calling. Since cellphone coverage is sometimes spotty, Wi-Fi, when available, ensures I get a good connection. It also saves your data if you’re on a limited phone plan.

To turn on Wi-Fi calling on an iPhone, open the Settings app, go to Wi-Fi calling and enable it. You’ll be asked to verify your address for emergency services. On an Android phone, tap “Settings” then type “WiFi calling” in the search bar. When it comes up, toggle the switch to the on position.

UNSEND THAT IPHONE TEXT

To edit a text message on your iPhone, after you’ve already sent it, tap and hold the message, then choose “Edit” or “Unsend” when the menu pops up.

You have 15 minutes to edit or unsend the message. The same is also supposed to work on Android phones, which now use “RCS,” or Rich Communication Services, which are encrypted and allow for “read receipts.” But it didn’t work in my tests.

CORRECTING CHATGPT

If ChatGPT gives you an answer you know is off base, correct it by saying “you’re wrong.” It will apologize and try again.

I went to AI.com and typed: “Why did Newport Beach, California stop canning fish from the ocean?” It said the decline happened because of fishing regulations, environmental concerns and a change in the economy. “You’re wrong,” I said. “It was because of the runoff from fertilizer into the bay, which made fish less plentiful.” “Thank you for bringing attention to the specific issue of fertilizer runoff and its impact on marine life in Newport Beach,” it responded.

To use ChatGPT yourself, go to ai.com or install the free app on your phone.

PHONE HACKING

Here are three signs your phone has been hacked: It gets real slow. It overheats. Its battery life suddenly gets much worse. For more info, Google the phrase “3 ways to spot a malware-infected app on your smartphone.” That turns up a great article from ZDNet.

INTERNUT

Search on the phrase “wheelchair-equipped robot named Esther,” to see a robot play tennis. She might even improve your game.