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Whos monitoring the situation right now? As headlines continue to be dominated by news of missile attacks, retaliations, and calls for ceasefire, there are no shortage of situations to monitor. And X users are responding to the call to arms. Me monitoring the situation with the boys, one X post reads. I bet hes texting other women, reads another. She doesnt know Im monitoring the situation. A third wrote: I never see you at the club. I never see you monitoring the situation. me monitoring the situation with the boys pic.twitter.com/eiLA7lrOUF— Memelord Technologies (@memelordtech) June 14, 2025 The meme speaks to the compulsion to continually refresh social media during times of political turmoilpulling down at the top of the scroll for the next update. Its not doomscrolling; its monitoring the situation. This isnt the first time the meme has surfaced on social media. The idea of monitoring the situation has been used in memes throughout the 2010s, making it hard to pin down exactly when the first known meme to use the phrase was uploaded online, Phillip Hamilton wrote on the website Know Your Meme. Now, its experiencing a resurgence on X following Israels military strikes against Iran, which were followed by U.S. strikes and, most recently, Irans missile attack on a U.S. base in Qatar. In the aftermath, Google searches for is the US going to war spiked nearly 5,000%, while World War III searches surged almost 2,000%, according to Google Trends. Reddit threads like Is WW3 slowly happening? and Do you think World War 3 is a real possibility? have been flooded with anxious users. Over on TikTok, users took a predictably unserious approach to the collective anxiety over global events. First war, whats the dress code, one post reads over footage of missiles flying overhead. When I get drafted into WW3 but they let me bring my AirPods, another viral post reads, soundtracked to Taylor Swift. @mikaelarellano RATATATATATA #taylorswift #swiftie #ww3 I Did Something Bad – Taylor Swift While the fears felt by people around the world as the situation continues to unfold are genuine and warrantedas those who grew up witnessing U.S. invasions in Iraq and Afghanistan can attestusing memes as a coping mechanism is nothing new. As one X user put it: Men will literally monitor the situation instead of going to therapy.”
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After experimenting with AI judges at the Winter X Games six months ago, Jeremy Bloom, CEO of the X Games, is launching an entirely new company based around the technology, and has pulled in some top-tier talent to lead it. Owl AI, an AI platform designed to judge and referee sporting events, is officially launching following an $11 million seed funding round, led by S32, with additional participation from Menlo Ventures and Susa Ventures. Josh Gwyther, the former Head of AI at Google Cloud, will be the new companys CEO, leaving Google after nearly a decade. Bloom, who is Owl AIs executive chairman and a former Olympic skier and NFL player, says that the companys creation was, in a word, accidental, as it was originally a sort of experiment between the X Games and Google cofounder Sergey Brin, who tasked Google AI engineers with developing AI judges for snowboarding competitions. That was enough to garner a whole lot of attention from athletes and sports leagues alike, and now that the technology has proven itself, the potential applications are far-reaching. When I initially reached out to Sergey, Bloom says, this idea had been on my mind since I was a competitor a couple of decades ago. Sergey was excited about it, too, and introduced me to Josh. They created the initial model in six weeks and deployed it at the Winter X Games in January. Now, with five more months to marinate, itll be used again at the Summer X Games in Salt Lake City this weekend. Ive been focused on generative AI for the last four and a half years, says Gwyther, and Owl AI blends two things that I love: sports and AI. So, making the move was a no-brainer. It was an easy decision to make. Owl AIs initial purpose was to judge athletes and assign them scores, removing the potential for bias or corruption that may exist with human judges. But theres more to it than that, as it can be used as a referee or judge, it can also score and coach individual athletes, and can also be used as a color commentator in nearly any language. Our macro goal is to make sure human error never decides the outcome of a game, competition, or sporting event ever again, says Bloom. These moments are hard for fans, devastating for athletes, and have monumental impacts for leagues. He notes some examples from the NFL, such as the notorious Fail Mary, or an instance in which a blown call cost the New Orleans Saints a potential berth in the Super Bowl. While Owl AI is not necessarily designed to replace human judges or referees, it can help them do their jobs, and hopefully, make better decisions on the field, the mountain, or on the baseball diamond. As such, other leagues are already talking to the company about potential partnerships. We have five or six ongoing conversations with pro leagues, says Bloom. While nothing is official, both Bloom and Gwyther are excited about the future of the company, especially given how far the technology has advanced in a short period of time. What we did in Aspen was only five months ago. What were doing in Salt Lake City couldnt have been done at that time, Bloom says, regarding how the AI tech has evolved with remarkable speed. Im excited.
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If you missed the northern lights, or aurora borealis, earlier this month, you may have a second chance tonight, Wednesday, June 25, when they may be visible in some 15 U.S. states. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) forecasts the next possibility for viewing the northern lights is Wednesday night, with best viewing from Alaska to South Dakota. The agencys three-day forecast is predicting G1 to G2 geomagnetic storms (on a scale of G1 to G5), which are considered minor to moderate. A stream of solar wind from a coronal hole on the sun is likely to create auroras, or swaths of blue, green, and purple in the sky, when it reaches Earth. Where and when will the northern lights be visible? According to this map from NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Center, a total of 15 states are in the line of view for the auroras, with Alaska and the northernmost states expected to have the best visibility on Wednesday, June 25. The states are: Alaska, Minnesota, Montana, North Dakota, Michigan, Maine, New York, Vermont, Wisconsin, New Hampshire, Wyoming, South Dakota, northern Idaho, Iowa, and Washington. However, since we just experienced the summer solstice, which brings the longest days of the year, and therefore, the shortest nights, viewing may be hampered with fewer hours of night sky in some areas. The aurora borealis is best observed just after sunset or just before sunrise. Dont worry if you arent able to see the northern lights this weekNOAA predicts activity will remain high through 2025 and 2026. This years increased solar activity is likely the result of an 11-year sun cycle peaking through October. You can track the aurora on NOAAs page, where the agency is providing updates.
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