Hello there on this lovely Saturday! Today’s trivia is for all my language dorks. Which of these words was not added to the Merriam-Webster dictionary in 2023? Is it … A.) Fluffernutter, B.) Rizz, C.) Doggo or D.) Cromulent? Answer at the end!

🛑 Don't let your email provider decide what you see! Hit Reply to this email now, and you can leave me a comment, too. It tells the algorithms you want my content, keeping Big Tech from shoving me in your spam folder. It’s extra important since we just switched providers. Yep, that’s why you notice a new email address in your inbox. Thank you so much! Now, on to the tech goodies. — Kim

For years now, I've predicted that someday, somehow, someone would create a search tool that would rival Google. Some say it's already happened with ChatGPT. But it's loaded with problems.

I'm betting history’s about to repeat itself with this AI search website, which has just 40 employees operating out of a small, shared office in San Francisco … kinda like the early days of Google.

Flying under the radar, sorta

The website is Perplexity AI. It started two years ago, but the owners kept a low profile to work out the bugs and make their AI search reliable. Perplexity has only 10 million users a month. Google processes over 8.5 billion searches per day.

But as of Jan. 1, it has the backing of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, who's betting big on the Google challenger. He and his partners just invested $74 million. (Jeff, call me.)

I tested it with questions ChatGPT gets wrong. So far, Perplexity is spot on. The best part? It's free.

Spot on, you say?

It seems to dig much deeper than the other AI chatbots I've used, which makes sense since it's designed for research. You'll see citations and sources all over the place. I wish ChatGPT did this.

Here's a good example. I asked Perplexity, "Does Kim Komando have a dog?" It brought up quotes about my girl, Abby, and even showed me a picture of us together on the cover of AARP magazine.

ChatGPT says, "I don't have specific information about whether Kim Komando, the technology journalist and radio host, has a dog." Womp‑womp.

Then I asked, "How do I listen to The Kim Komando Show?" Perplexity sent me the link to my handy station finder with an explanation of how to use it. It even told me that you can listen without ads as a Komando Community member. Appreciate the free marketing!

That’s cool, but what about in my everyday life?

Glad you asked. We're really just at the edge of what AI can do for us personally and professionally. Some of us use it every day and others aren't sure what to do with AI yet. I gotcha.

• Don't just guess if you're setting up new tech. A good example: "I just got an iPhone 15. What settings should I change first?"
• Shortcut an annoying task. "I have to make a 2024 budget. Can you help me with a basic outline?"
• Get free, tangible advice if no one in your life can help. "How do I improve my resume to get more responses?"
• Solve a mystery or learn something new about the world. "Why do volcanoes erupt?" (Good for settling arguments, eh?)
• Give AI a try if you're confused about something or feeling out of the loop. "Why is everyone talking about the Roman Empire?"

📩 Want to try it out? Here’s the link one more time. No, they didn't ask me to promote. It's an incredible tool I want you to know about! If you discover anything you think is awesome, reply to this email and let me know.

We all need a little help looking our best. Here are a few of my favorite affordable beauty secrets.

• Vitamin B, biotin and collagen make your hair look and feel thicker and healthier, and this shampoo packs them all for under $7.
• My favorite whitening toothpaste — I order this again and again!
• We all look better hydrated. Liquid I.V. hydration powder packets have three times the electrolytes of sports drinks without all the sugar.
• Mighty Patch pimple stickers work. It was a lie when they said you wouldn’t get pimples again after your teen years.
• Guys and gals, scraggly hands aren’t the way to go. Rub some cuticle oil on a couple of times a week.

🍪 All good things crumb to an end: Google just ditched third-party cookies in Chrome for 30 million people — 1% of its users. Chrome will now group you into categories for targeted ads, like "sports fan" or "tech lover” without giving away your exact details. Are you in the 1%? In Chrome, click the three-dot menu > Settings > Privacy and security. If all the toggles are on, you might be in luck. You can also look for an eyeball icon in your URL bar.

The long con: For years, folks online questioned whether Steven Reece Lewis, CEO of the HyperVerse crypto fund, was real. He said he worked at Goldman Sachs, sold a company to Adobe and more. The Guardian did some digging and found no trace of any of it — the CEO was a deepfake video. HyperVerse swindled over $1.3 billion in investments in 2022.

Jesus, take the wheel: Tech firms in Texas are gearing up to launch self-driving delivery trucks. Yep, no drivers. They've already been hauling stuff from Walmart and FedEx, guided by advanced software and sensors. Hope they're not made by GM's Cruise division.

🤖 In the year 2116: Around 2,700 AI pros were surveyed about the future of artificial intelligence. The outlook? Grim. One in 10 researchers thinks there's a 25% chance AI will destroy humankind. How? Bad guys using it for stuff like bioweapons, rulers wielding it to dominate and AI widening the rich-poor gap.

Carb load: Microsoft's Xbox Series S toaster is a real thing. It's got six toasty settings and burns the Xbox logo onto your English muffin. Priced at $39.99 at Walmart, it's a steal compared to the actual console. Microsoft's playing along with jokes about the Xbox looking like the kitchen appliance — it totally does.

🩴 Flip flop. A hot, new app claims you can make a bunch of money recommending products to people. I say meh, skip it.

Find your zen. Staring at hundreds or (gasp!) thousands of unread emails? I’ve got your back.

🏡 Win the real estate game. My prediction: Airbnb hosts are going to be dumping properties this year. You can score if you’re looking for a new home.

Talk worky to me. Get your tasks done faster with a little helper I bet you use all the time to text — your voice!

Safety first. Cars are computers on wheels. The scary part is someone could use that against you.

No kidding, hiring just one person takes roughly 30 hours of work time. All told, the average from first interview to hire is 41 days. Who has that kind of time to waste? That’s why we use LinkedIn to find great team members.

The built-in incredible hiring tools cut down the bad resumes you receive so you only see qualified candidates who meet your high standards. Even better, it’ll help you reach out to the right people at the right time so your messages don’t get lost. Love that.

🏪 Groceries are so expensive: Flipp compares prices so you don't have to. Type in what you're looking for and your address, city or ZIP code to find sales near you. At least eggs aren’t $8 a dozen anymore.

Talk to the hand: You can use Alexa without vocal controls or needing to touch the screen if you have an Echo Show. Open your Alexa App and tap More > Settings. Select Device Options and tap Gestures. Now, just lift your hand to stop a timer.

Take an eerie walk down memory lane: Sign into your Google account, then open Google Maps. Click the hamburger menu in the top-left corner. Choose Your Timeline > Your Places > Visited.

Something big is brewing: Take a second right now and tap or click here to subscribe to my YouTube channel. This way, when my new video show drops, you’ll be part of the in crowd automatically. You won’t want to miss it!

Almost as bad as when there’s a hair tickling your arm.

The answer: A.) Fluffernutter. That made it into the dictionary in 2022. Seems late, right? If you don’t know, it’s a sandwich made of peanut butter and marshmallow fluff. No, thanks! “Rizz” is short for charisma (that “it” factor), a “doggo” is dog, and “cromulent” means “acceptable.” Fun fact: “Cromulent” came from “The Simpsons.”

⭐ One last thing: Spread the love and share this email with a friend who wants to be as tech-smart as you. Use your unique sharing link. When they sign up, you earn sweet prizes. And be sure to rate this issue below so we know how we’re doing. See you tomorrow with the Sunday edition of the best tech newsletter in the USA! — Kim