Thursday is upon us, my tech pal. Let’s start today’s fun with a riddle to get our brains revving. What comes once in a minute, twice in a moment, but never in a thousand years? Answer at the end!

🚀 Elevate your Current subscription! Along with my free newsletter, you can ask questions in my exclusive, members-only Q&A Forum, where my team of tech experts will help you. Plus, you get commercial-free access to my shows and free e-book downloads. As a Current reader, enjoy a 30-day free trial! After the trial, it's just $3.75 per month. Now, on to the tech smarts! — Kim

How about something light and fun today? We’ve come a long way from :-) and :-( to express ourselves in texts, emails and other written forms of communication. And more than 10 years since we got lots of the emojis we still use today, some of your faves might be totally out of fashion.

Does sending the peace sign make you look lame? ✌️ Is the thumbs-up played out? New data on emoji usage just dropped and I'm spilling the tea. ☕

Endangered species

Subscription design service Superside analyzed the usage and search volume of the top 100 emojis worldwide. Here are the 14 most endangered emojis (aka those losing popularity), in order of endangerment:

👌 😳 🙌 🙈 ✌️ 💁🏻‍♀️ 😏 💕 💘 😎 😱 😜 😞 😄

• In both the U.S. and the U.K., the smirking face 😏 is the most endangered overall. Makes sense — it looks a little creepy.
• In France and Germany, the “face screaming in fear” emoji 😱 is out.
• In Thailand, the “OK hand” emoji 👌 is a relic.

Text in the city

They even go by city. The “OK hand” emoji 👌 is the least popular in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Detroit, Baltimore, Miami and Oakland. Noted.

In El Paso, Texas, the “flushed face” emoji 😳 is the least popular. The “smiling face with open mouth and smiling eyes” emoji 😄 is the most popular there, though, making it an outlier compared to other cities on the list. I kinda like it! Looks like a real smile.

What's the most endangered emoji in almost every city? The “information desk person” 💁, which most folks use to mimic a hair flip when they’re feeling a little sassy.

Elevate your emoji game

If you’re thinking, “Oh, no, I use all of those!” I'm not judging … but your kids might be.

Here's a cheat sheet of outdated emojis and some alternatives that’ll make you look “with” it:

• Leave the thumbs-up 👍 and go with the 💯 instead. It's like saying you agree 100%. I use it all the time.
• When someone asks you for something, go with a salute 🫡 instead of the ol’ OK 👌. It’s super cute and way more official‑looking!
• Feeling embarrassed or surprised? Trade the flushed face 😳 for a 🥴. You could also go with 🫣 when you're afraid to look at something but you totally want to.
• I see you smirking over there 😏. Bring your sly smile up to date with this guy: 🤭.
• Swap out 💁🏻‍♀️ for a real shoulder shrug 🤷🏻.
• Hands up if you celebrate with 🙌! A less played-out way to show excitement is this emoji: 🥳.
• I swapped out the default red heart ❤️ with heart hands 🫶.

PSA: This emoji is a salad: 🥗. Barry texted it to over 100 people last December, thinking it was a Christmas wreath. I laughed so hard. If you’re ever unsure of the meaning of an emoji, check this site.

AI is changing the world at a pace we’ve never seen before in the history of mankind. That’s why you need to take a free test drive to learn how you can save time and money using AI in your business.

The problem: Buying the tech to make it happen is expensive — and who knows if you’re even choosing what you truly need?

The pros at Oracle will bring AI to your company the easy way. Oracle Cloud Infrastructure uses NVIDIA GPUs, so you know you’re getting the gold standard in processing power. Let them worry about updates and maintenance so you can focus on the future.

Byte-Ban: Starting Aug. 15, U.S. House of Representatives staffers are banned from using all ByteDance apps on government devices. TikTok's already out, but now the ban includes photo-editing apps CapCut and Hypic, chat app Lark and social media app Lemon8. It all comes down to TikTok’s ties to Communist China. I’m surprised it took them this long.

🚨 Facebook ad alert: A massive ad campaign is hitting Facebook, pushing 600-plus fishy online shops. They bait you with huge discounts on brands like Nike and sweet deals on iPhones. Fake user comments make it all look more legit. There’s an easy way to spot the scam: These dodgy sites only work on mobile; click on them outside of your phone, and you’ll get a 404 error.

⚠️ Glad I got rid of my Tesla: The EV company has reported more than 1,200 Autopilot-related crashes to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration since 2021. The biggest culprits: Autopilot struggling to recognize obstacles and veering off the road in wet conditions. Tesla says to keep your hands on the wheel and be ready to retake control at all times (paywall link). Gee, thanks …

📚 Catfish on the menu: Lame AI cookbooks are taking over Amazon’s bestseller list. Take “The Complete Crock‑Pot Cookbook for Beginners.” Red flags: The author is wearing mismatched earrings, it's riddled with typos, the recipes are weird, and there’s filler like “What is Crock‑Pot?” Before you buy, read the one-star reviews and check the preview images.

AI arms race: By 2030, the U.S. Air Force plans to have 1,000 “robot wingmen” in the sky, flying alongside human-operated jets. It's risky if things go wrong, but you can bet enemy nations are brewing their own AI military plans, too.

✍️ It’s come to this: Website builder Wix just launched some new AI tools to add content to your website. The AI pulls info from your existing site and then drafts posts. All you have to do is edit afterward. The web is going to be fully loaded with AI content before you know it.

HDMI cable data grab: Security researchers found a new way hackers can spy: Electromagnetic radiation. By feeding signals into an AI model, they can reconstruct everything on a screen with 70% accuracy — enough to decipher passwords. The good news? It's incredibly hard to pull off and requires a signal-capturing device inside your home.

Not a mice idea: Logitech is toying with the idea of a "forever mouse" you’ll never have to replace — just update. The rumor mill says it’ll cost around $200, plus a subscription fee. Over time, you’ll probably spend more on things like swappable switches, replaceable shells and wheels, and detachable cables as they break.

Fixing the cord mess is easy with the right gear.

• Wiring across the floor can be a tripping hazard. This floor cord-management kit is on sale and hides everything nicely.
• An under-the-desk cable tray is perfect for tables, desks without storage compartments and even bookcases.
• These cable ties (21% off) aren’t just ugly pieces of plastic! Use ‘em over and over again.
• A cable concealer hides cords along the wall, across the floor or attached to furniture.
• Some outdoor equipment comes with excessively long power cords. Roll them up in an easy-to-use storage wheel, 30% off now.

Hello, officer: One of Waze’s best features is coming to Google Maps. Update the app now to get alerts when there’s a police officer on your route. I got pulled over twice in the last 30 days. We’re becoming fast friends.

Morning news, your way: If you ask Alexa for the news, the default is an NPR briefing. You can change that. Open the Alexa app, then go to More > Settings > News. Options include ABC, Associated Press, Fox News and The Wall Street Journal, among others.

📧 Write a hard email in the right tone: This AI tool can transform it for you. Choose from professional, emotional, to the point, easier to read and lots more. FYI, you can do the same thing with any of the AI chatbots, including ChatGPT. Just say, “Rewrite this to sound more …” followed by whatever you need.

💻 Kids having tech tantrums? You’re not alone. A 12-week study points to three winning strategies: 1.) Tell kids how much screen time they have, 2.) Involve kids in activities inspired by their favorite shows, and 3.) Let kids decide on their screen time duration. Been there, done that. Good luck!

I don’t try on clothes in stores anymore: I like to do it at home, in my own lighting, where I’m comfortable. For elevated basics, like washable silk tops and $50 cashmere, check out Quince. Go to quince.com/kim for free shopping and 365-day returns.*

24k scam: Retirees are losing huge money to gold bar scams. Warn your loved ones.

Smile for the camera: Tricks to get photos good enough for family Christmas cards.

It smells like a wet dog here: Easy, inexpensive ways to freshen up your house.

Answer: The letter “M.” Did I stump you? Sweet, pass that one on! And if you got it, I’m not surprised. After all, you’re smart enough to subscribe to The Current.

😂 Why can’t water say the whole alphabet? It only knows H to O. (I know … But I had to.)

That’s another issue in the books. Before you go, are we friends on social media? I’m on Instagram, X, YouTube, Facebook and everywhere else!

Join me with the Komando Community gang, too. Here’s a 30-day free trial. Hit the box for an extra 10% off, and come say hi. Back in your inbox tomorrow, my friend, with the best tech newsletter in the USA! — Kim