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You've waited long enough for Apple's relaunch of Siri as an AI assistant, and now you can finally try out the Siri AI beta for iOS. But, psst, don't tell anyone, but there's even more Siri AI for you to try out with a secret Siri AI interface on Mac.

A Reddit user on the r/MacOSBeta subreddit has discovered a "hidden lightweight UI" for Siri AI in the macOS 27 Golden Gate beta. This feature basically provides users with an array of AI tools, presented in a pop-up menu whenever text is highlighted.

Reddit

The Siri AI pop-up interface includes AI tools such as Rewrite, Proofread, "How does this sound?," and "Edit with Siri." There are also menu options for summarization and providing bullet points from the selected text.

Siri AI can also provide a selection of specific tools dependent on the context of what's selected. For example, highlighting a phone number provides a pop-up to "Add to contacts" or when selecting an address the pop-up offers an "Open in Maps" option. There are tools for creating calendar events, composing messages and emails, and tracking flights and packages as well.

Why is the feature hidden? Well, as MacRumors points out, the Siri AI interface in macOS 27 developer beta 3 and public beta 1 is simply an unfinished product. Certain features don't yet work how they're supposed to. Some options don't work at all. Clearly, Apple has yet to make it available because it's simply not ready.

However, Reddit users say there is a way to turn the interface on in the macOS Golden Gate Beta. According to Redditor pdfu, if users running the macOS 27 beta simply need to open up the Terminal and input a few lines of code.

Please note: We do not recommend running terminal instructions or changing important OS files unless you fully understand what you're doing. We have not tested these terminal instructions, so proceed at your own risk.

sudo mkdir -p /Library/Preferences/FeatureFlags/Domain && sudo defaults write /Library/Preferences/FeatureFlags/Domain/WritingTools LightweightUI_macOS -dict Enabled -bool true

After that, the Reddit threat instructs users to restart their computer and the Siri AI interface will be enabled.

If you've had enough of the unfinished interface, you can turn it back off by once again opening Terminal and the following input:

sudo defaults write /Library/Preferences/FeatureFlags/Domain/WritingTools LightweightUI_macOS -dict Enabled -bool false

It's unclear if the Siri AI interface will launch with the official version of the new macOS. However, it's certainly interesting to see Apple further brand its Siri AI relaunch as an all-in-one AI tool across the company's products.

While the rest of the world was watching the World Cup on Sunday evening, mathematician Levent Alpöge casually announced on X that he had used Anthropic's Fable 5 to disprove the Jacobian conjecture.

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The Jacobian conjecture is a long-standing open problem in algebraic geometry that's bedeviled highly accomplished mathematicians for almost 90 years. It was included in "Smale's problems," a list of unresolved math problems put forward by mathematician Stephen Smale in 1998.

But that proved no obstacle for Fable 5, Anthropic's latest frontier AI model. (You may remember Fable 5 as the public version of Claude Mythos Preview, the AI model that Anthropic says has such advanced cybersecurity capabilities that it was too dangerous for public release.)

Alpöge is part of Harvard's Society of Fellows, and his LinkedIn profile notes an affiliation with Anthropic. We've reached out to Anthropic with questions about Alpöge's work, and we'll update this story if we receive more information.

Meanwhile, for those of us who don't understand polynomial functions from n-dimensional space, the question is: Does this represent a major breakthrough in artificial intelligence, or mathematics, or neither?

"This did not cause me to update my priors about what AI can and can't do," professor and mathematician Andrew Blumberg told Mashable. "This is exactly the kind of thing I would expect AI to be able to do. If there was a counterexample that was concise and easy to state that people haven't found because it's a pain to search through all this stuff, AI will find it."

Blumberg has a joint appointment in mathematics and computer science at Columbia University and is on the board of directors of the First Proof project, an effort to test the capabilities of frontier large language models in solving research-level mathematics. So, it's safe to say he understands mathematics and AI better than most of us.

You want to learn something from the answer.

Blumberg affirmed that providing a counterexample to the Jacobian conjecture is still a significant achievement for AI in mathematics. But he also told us there's a big difference between providing a positive proof for a major math problem and providing a single counterexample that disproves it. Here's the metaphor Blumberg used to explain.

"Suppose that Moses came down from the mountain with tablets, and on the tablet was written, 'Cancer can be cured.' Would you care? You don't just want the answer to the question. You want to learn something from the answer. And the reason Smale thought this problem was important is because he thought that if we solved it, we would understand more things about the about the way nature is structured."

In other words, Blumberg says, "this counterexample tells us essentially nothing. It's just, you know, there are a lot of polynomials, and it's hard for people to check them all, but it's not hard for machines."

The Jacobian conjecture isn't the only math problem AI has cracked in recent months. OpenAI announced in May an "internal model" had disproved the Erdős unit distance conjecture, a central conjecture in discrete geometry.

However, in that case, the result was more productive, Blumberg says. That's because OpenAI didn't just provide a counterexample — but a disproof of the problem itself.

"The disproof there already has led to interesting things because experts in the area unpacked what was going on in the disproof and then used it to do other things," Blumberg says.

And that's not necessarily the case with the Jacobian conjecture counterexample, he adds. "I'm not an expert in that area, and so I can't say if there's something special about the structure of this counterexample that people will learn something from, but it's not in and of itself interesting."

Disclosure: Ziff Davis, Mashable’s parent company, in April 2025 filed a lawsuit against OpenAI, alleging it infringed Ziff Davis copyrights in training and operating its AI systems.

Paramount+ subscribers in the U.S. can look forward to boldly going where no one has gone before, with Captain Pike and the crew of the Starship Enterprise in the fourth season of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds this Thursday. But before then, if you're hunting for a flick or two for movie night this week, I've got some primo selections below.

Subscription creep is a real problem. It is one thing for $20 a month, and then another for $5, and before you know it, you're forking over hundreds monthly for services you might not even use. If you have a Raspberry Pi sitting around waiting for a project, you can turn it into a small self-hosting hub that can replace several subscription services as long as you take the right precautions.

Lamborghini's personalization division, Ad Personam, has been dressing up Aventadors, Huracáns, and now Temerarios since 2006, when it debuted with a limited run of Gallardos at the Paris Motor Show. Twenty years and more than 400 exterior colors later, the division did something it has never done before in a Lamborghini production car. It put wool inside one.

Is Samsung about to completely change the foldable game? Samsung’s July 22 Unpacked Event is just around the corner, and massive upgrades are incoming. We’re expecting a brand-new, wider Galaxy Z Fold 8 alongside an ultra-premium Fold 8 Ultra. Plus, we should get our first look at the next-gen Watch Ultra 2 and a new pair of Android XR smart glasses.

As we round the corner into the final straight of July, Netflix still has a lot of life left in it when it comes to options that make for good weekday movie nights. Netflix U.S. viewers seem to still be flocking to the disaster doc, Shipwrecked: Nightmare at Sea, that we covered in our weekly roundup of documentaries, as it still sits in the streamer's Top 3, but if a doc isn't what you're looking for, read on.

Every four years, the World Cup reminds us why we fall in love with sports in the first place.

The 2026 tournament was one of firsts. For the first time, three countries — Canada, Mexico, and the United States — shared hosting duties. For the first time, the field expanded from 32 to 48 teams, giving more nations a chance to compete on the sport's biggest stage and more federations the opportunity to showcase their depth.

That expansion brought historic debuts for Cape Verde, Jordan, Curaçao, and Uzbekistan. Their first appearances delivered some of the tournament's most unforgettable moments.

It also felt like a farewell tour. Cristiano Ronaldo. Lionel Messi. Luka Modrić. Neymar. Son Heung-min. Guillermo Ochoa. A generation that shaped the sport for two decades took one last bow on the biggest stage, with several likely making their final World Cup appearances.

Taken together, those storylines made this World Cup feel bigger than any single match. Over the course of several weeks, the tournament gave us unforgettable goals, shocking upsets, viral celebrations, heartbreaking exits, and moments that transcended soccer altogether. Here are the moments that defined the 2026 World Cup.

Vozinha and the Blue Sharks

The best feel-good story of the World Cup has to be Cape Verde's historic run and their goalkeeper, Vozinha (née Josimar José Évora Dias). The 40-year-old keeper and Cape Verde stalwart rocketed to international fame after a heroic performance against eventual champions Spain, keeping a clean sheet against the European giants to earn the 500,000-strong nation its first-ever points in a World Cup.

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Vozinha, who was on the verge of retirement from club football, blew up on social media, amassing 29 million Instagram followers to become one of the most-followed soccer players on the platform.

The magic kept coming for the Blue Sharks. A 2-2 draw with Uruguay and a scoreless draw against Saudi Arabia secured a second-place finish in their group behind Spain, and a spot in the knockouts. There, the smallest nation ever to reach a World Cup knockout round took defending champs Argentina to the brink, including a spectacular extra-time equalizer from Sidney Lopes Cabral. It wasn't enough — an own goal in the 111th minute gave Argentina the lead, and the win.

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Even in defeat, Cape Verde and Vozinha became the darlings of the 2026 World Cup, earning a hero's welcome when they returned home to Praia, the nation's capital.

America's World Cup ends in disappointment and controversy

The U.S.'s lowest moment in the tournament came wrapped in controversy. Folarin Balogun was sent off in the round of 32 against Bosnia-Herzegovina for a tackle that injured Tarik Muharemovic — a red card overturned on review, then reinstated by VAR, that should have kept him out of the quarterfinal against Belgium.

Instead, on the eve of that match, news broke that President Trump had personally called FIFA president Gianni Infantino about the suspension, and FIFA's disciplinary committee — invoking the same conveniently vague rule it used to keep Cristiano Ronaldo eligible for his final World Cup — cleared Balogun to play.

FIFA denied any connection to the call, but the optics were brutal regardless: the first in-tournament suspension reversal FIFA had made since 1962. Balogun's actual impact on the game was negligible — one good chance in the 82nd minute that Thibaut Courtois saved — and the U.S. lost 4-1, undone far more by sloppy defending than by anything happening off the pitch. But the timing made it impossible to separate the two.

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A team that had looked loose and confident through the group stage and into the knockout rounds showed up tight and rattled.

Insane Third Place game ends Golden Boot race

The World Cup is known for its magnificent scorers: Pelé, Maradona, Klose. It's rare to see one player absolutely rake in the goals in a single tournament, but 2026 delivered a real fight for the crown. Heading into the final weekend, Messi and Mbappé sat tied atop the table at eight goals each, having both already passed Miroslav Klose on the World Cup's all-time scoring list along the way. Behind them, England's Jude Bellingham and Harry Kane lingered at six apiece, two goals back but not out of it.

Then the third-place game happened, and it blew the race open. England beat France 6-4 in a match that had no business being that entertaining for a game "nobody wanted to play."

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Instead, it turned into an old-fashioned track meet. Mbappé found the net twice to push his tally to 10, breaking the tie with Messi outright and matching the mark he set back in 2022. Bellingham, meanwhile, kept crashing the box the way he had all tournament and picked up his seventh, cutting the gap to Mbappé to three with only the final left. With that crazy game over, and Spain's 1-0 win over Argentina, Mbappé ended the tournament as the Golden Boot winner.

The last time this fixture featured multiple Golden Boot winners padding their totals was in 1990, and even that wasn't a shootout like this one. Between Mbappé and Messi, both represent the first 8+ goal scorers since Gerd Müller scored 10 back in 1970.

We truly are blessed.

International fans experience American baseball

One of the best things about the World Cup is when international fans and players come to town and immerse themselves in local culture. The best subplot from this year's World Cup was undoubtedly taking place at the ballpark.

With days off between fixtures, traveling World Cup fans started showing up in force at MLB games, and stadiums across the country turned into unlikely satellite fan zones. It kicked off on June 14 at Fenway, when Scottish fans fresh off a win over Haiti marched from downtown Boston straight into a Red Sox game — timed, by pure coincidence, with the ballpark's own Scottish Heritage Night.

Two days later, the Tartan Army (the nickname for the Scottish supporters) packed part of the upper deck at Yankee Stadium, and by June 22, roughly 8,000 of them turned up in Miami for a Marlins-Rangers game, making up nearly half the announced crowd.

Norway's supporters did their own version of the takeover at Citi Field on June 24, filling the outfield seats in Viking helmets and getting the stadium's mascots to join their signature rowing celebration. Even England manager Thomas Tuchel, a generally terse-looking man, threw out a ceremonial first pitch at Kauffman Stadium during the team's stay in Kansas City. He could definitely strike out Timothée Chalamet in three pitches.

This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed. U.S. visa entry nightmare

For all the goodwill the tournament generated, the road to it exposed something uglier. In the run-up to the World Cup, visa denials and delays became a recurring headache for teams, and in some cases, outright barred people from the competition entirely.

Swiss forward Breel Embolo was blocked from boarding a flight to his own team's training camp over a year-old conviction that had already been settled back home. South Africa's delegation nearly missed its trip to Mexico when more than 20 players and staff got stuck waiting on visas, and Iran's team ended up sleeping in Mexico every night of the tournament after U.S. officials barred its players and staff from overnight stays, with more than a dozen federation staffers, including the federation's own president, never cleared to travel at all.

None of this happened by accident. It was the Trump administration's own immigration architecture doing exactly what it was built to do, and the tournament exposed it long before the opening whistle.

The policy wasn't limited to a handful of unlucky cases: 39 countries entered the tournament under some form of U.S. travel restriction, and for 19 of them the State Department had stopped issuing visas altogether, a list that happened to include four World Cup nations (Iran, Haiti, Côte d'Ivoire, and Senegal).

Somali referee Omar Artan, freshly named his continent's top official and set to become the first Somali to work a World Cup match, was detained for eleven hours at Miami International Airport and sent back to Istanbul over alleged "associations with suspected members of terror organizations" that CBP officials declined to specify.

To be fair, Canada has also been just as strict, with Ghanaian fans getting an 11 percent approval rate for visas to the country. Most notably, Ghanaian player Thomas Partey had his visa and subsequent appeal denied and missed Ghana's World Cup opener due to ongoing criminal proceedings in the UK. Partey, however, was allowed to play in the team's other group-stage matches in the US.

Through all of this, FIFA, the one body with standing to push back, chose instead to call it a host country's prerogative.

The world falls in love with Erling Haaland

The most terrifying striker in the world seems to be a completely normal guy. It's something only Erling Haaland seems to be able to do, with the ruthlessly efficient Norwegian striker netting himself into the Golden Boot conversation alongside Messi and Mbappé.

Off the field, though, the man nicknamed "The Terminator" is a glorified Snapchat shitposter.

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On his personal Snapchat, you can find selfies with Shrek, face filters, and a bit where he wanders around Manhattan in a cap pretending nobody recognizes him. Despite being two years younger than fellow Gen Z superstar Mbappé, the Manchester City striker doesn't seem to carry the same weight of expectations as his world soccer compatriots. This man is doing photoshoots with cowboy hats and wearing shirts that say "y'all can kiss my Dallas."

It's probably why the world can't get enough of him.

Estadio Azteca

The Estadio Azteca, the home of Mexican soccer, delivered one of the most breathtaking scenes in this World Cup.

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The stadium is a historic site not just in Mexico but also in World Cup history. It also made for some great memes. Mexico hosted the World Cup for the third time and, for the first time ever, won all three group-stage games. The vibes coming off El Tri and its fans were at an all-time high — probably the only thing higher than the altitude at Estadio Azteca, which became a running joke all tournament long.

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I use FOSS (free and open-source) tools every day on my Linux machine. But before I started really getting into it, there was one app that changed the way I thought about software to that point: LibreOffice. Discovering it changed my mind about how I use software and I consider it a hidden gem that's hiding in plain sight.

LG display users are pushing back against two contentious policies. Some LG monitors are reportedly installing McAfee adware without users' permission, while smart TVs have a new policy raising concerns about recording people for AI purposes.

Samsung is known for offering high-end hardware and tons of software features. But part of being on the cutting edge is letting some old things fall by the wayside. Galaxy phones have lost almost as many features as they’ve gained, and I miss a few of them more than others.

As the second quarter of the year comes to a close, sales figures from automakers have flooded in. In a turbulent year, there have been a lot of surprise wins and disappointing losses. However, in the world of luxury vehicles, there is one nameplate that continues to hold on to its dominance.

Want to extend the time between charges on your Pixel, or just get through a day out without worrying about having to top up? You don't have to disable features on your phone to do it. Pixel devices have some easily ignorable settings you can tweak that will help to save your battery.

It's 2026, and audiences still love Will Ferrell. The comedian's newest show on Netflix, The Hawk, is currently sitting at No. 1 on the service. On the movie side, a Spanish-language thriller, Desire, is No. 1 on the charts. If you're still searching for more thrillers after these picks, give Desire a shot.

SAVE 40%: As of July 20, you can get the Eufy E25 robot vacuum-mop combo for $599.99, down from $999.99, at Amazon. That's a 40% discount or $400 in savings.

Eufy E25 $599.99 at Amazon
$999.99 Save $400   Get Deal at Amazon

As you've probably read by now, I have two beagles who love to destroy my floors (particularly right after I've cleaned the entire apartment). To keep my sanity intact, I own an arsenal of cleaning supplies, including the Dreame L60 Pro Ultra and the Aero Pro Steam (I call it my "Dreame Team"). But I also know that brand loyalty usually takes a backseat when a really good discount pops up. (Plus, it's my job.)

SEE ALSO: My cats and I found the 8 best vacuums for pet owners, from powerful hair pickup to livestream cameras

Right now, you can get the Eufy E25 robot vacuum-mop combo for $599.99, down from $999.99, at Amazon. That's a 40% discount or $400 in savings.

It features 20,000 Pa of suction, empties its own dustbin, and even washes its own mop roller. It also comes equipped with AI obstacle avoidance to dodge everyday clutter (like rogue dog toys), and an extending arm to scrub right up against your baseboards. But, according to some Amazon reviewers, there are a few minor drawbacks, including a louder-than-usual drying cycle and finicky rollers.

Even so, picking a good spot for the base or doing occasional maintenance is a small price to pay to never have to mop your own floors again.

SAVE $501.99: The Ecovacs Goat A2000 LiDAR Pro Robot Lawn Mower is on sale at Amazon for $1,498, down from the list price of $1,999.99. That's a 25% discount.

Opens in a new window Credit: Ecovacs Ecovacs Goat A2000 LiDAR Pro Robotic Lawn Mower $1,498 at Amazon
$1,999.99 Save $501.99   Get Deal

Now that we're in the peak of summer, it's time to spend as much time as possible outside. Soon enough, it'll be grey skies, rain, and chilly hands when we head outside. While savoring the warm temperatures of summer, make household chores a bit easier by employing a robot lawn mower. There's a great model on sale for today only at Amazon.

As of July 20, the Ecovacs Goat A2000 LiDAR Pro Robot Lawn Mower is on sale at Amazon for $1,498, marked down from the normal price of $1,999.99. That's a 25% discount that takes a whopping $501.99 off the price.

Designed to mow lawns of up to 0.5 acres, the Ecovacs mower uses dual LiDAR to auto map your yard and AIVI 3D obstacle avoidance. Ecovacs says the mapping system has no trouble staying accurate when under trees, near fences, or in shaded areas. If you've used a robot vacuum before, you're familiar with how the mapping system works.

SEE ALSO: It's hot outside. Train indoors on the Peloton Tread while it's $400 off.

The robot lawn mower can get a full recharge in just 50 minutes, and there's a built-in edge trimmers so you can get borders as clean as if you had mowed by hand. Evovacs mentions the powerful 32V platform can handle even thick grass. You get to choose your desired cutting length between 1.2 and 3.5 inches.

Since Amazon has this listed as a limited-time deal expiring later today, hop on the 25% discount on the Ecovacs Goat A2000 LiDAR Pro Robot Lawn Mower. It's a time-saving investment that you'll get weekly use out of.

Save $10: As of July 20, you can grab a four-pack of second generation Apple AirTags at Amazon or Best Buy for. $89. This will save you 10% on their $99 list price, and brings the Bluetooth trackers back down to their lowest price ever.

Opens in a new window Credit: Apple Apple AirTag (4-pack) $89 at Amazon and Best Buy
$99 Save $10   Get Deal

A Bluetooth tracker may not be the most exciting piece of tech you can buy, but it can certainly be one of the most life-saving.

Apple AirTags have long been a popular choice with iPhone users, and with the release of the second-generation AirTags earlier this year, it doesn't look like that's changing anytime soon. As an extra perk, the four-pack of these Apple AirTags is on sale at Amazon and Best Buy for $89. Though that's only $10 off their $99 list price, this is the first time since last month's Prime Day we've seen a price dip on the trackers.

Plus, considering the price of just one AirTag is $29, $89 is a much better value, bringing them down to $22.25 per tracker.

The second-gen isn't vastly different from the first-generation AirTag. Senior Editor Stan Schroeder wrote in his review that the battery life, appearance, and simple setup is the same. That said, it also features a greater range, louder speaker, and Precision Tracking, which can be used with Apple Watches Series 9 or later.

Whether you're planning on using AirTags for travel, or more everyday essentials like your keys, this is one of the best Bluetooth trackers for Apple users. The main con is the high price point, but with this deal, it's much more palatable.

Spain has won the 2026 FIFA World Cup – and millions of new Kalshi users either won or lost money betting on the game.

According to prediction market Kalshi, the platform brought in 3 million new users during the World Cup tournament, which kicked off on June 11 and ended with the Spain vs. Argentina final on July 19.

In addition to the millions of new users, the company said that the World Cup broke a platform record for the most money traded in a single market. Kalshi says more than $1.2 billion in trades, the term the company uses to describe bets, were made to predict the winner of the World Cup.

Kalshi had a large presence throughout the World Cup. The company partnered with stars of the sport, such as Luka Modrić of the Croatia national team, who served as a brand ambassador and appeared in a commercial. Kalshi also had a partnership with the Argentina national team and received a featured post for the brand on Lionel Messi's Instagram account, which has over 512 million followers.

A commercial featuring A-lister Timothée Chalamet also appeared frequently in the U.S. market.

Despite their constant presence throughout the tournament, neither Kalshi nor its largest competitor, Polymarket, were official sponsors of the FIFA World Cup. A much smaller, new prediction market called ADI Predictstreet was deemed the "Official Prediction Market Partner of the FIFA World Cup 2026." However, Kalshi even found a way in there. Kalshi partnered with ADI Predictsteet in co-branded ad placements. In addition, website visitors from markets that ADI Predictstreet were not legally allowed to serve were told to visit Kalshi to place their trades in a prominent banner featured on ADI Predictstreet's homepage.

Prediction markets like Kalshi have been heavily criticized as they've blown up in popularity. There have been numerous alleged instances of illegal insider trading on these platforms. Critics have also pointed out how prediction markets allow users to trade on topics that could potentially lead to dangerous results. Gambling can also be very addictive, which is one reason sports betting is regulated so heavily.

For its part, Kalshi does not consider itself a destination for gambling. In a statement to Mashable, a company spokesperson said, "Kalshi is a financial exchange, not a gambling platform where the house sets the odds. People trade against each other, which means there's no incentive for us to hook losers and limit winners."

Some U.S. states have also taken aim at sports trading on prediction markets, specifically. These states have argued that prediction markets are running illegal sports betting operations as they seek to curb activity on these platforms in the courts.

For now, though, it seems prediction markets like Kalshi continue to grow with every major event, such as the World Cup. At this point, it's a sure bet.

UPDATE: Jul. 20, 2026, 5:39 p.m. EDT This article has been updated with a statement from Kalshi on the difference between gambling and trading.

A very unusual raccoon from Seattle has become the internet's newest sweetheart.

Since appearing in a brief video filmed in the city’s Ballard neighborhood, Jimothy has accumulated millions of views and inspired murals, tattoos, merchandise, government public-service announcements, a city proclamation, and even a surprise appearance at a Seattle Mariners game.

Online, fans have promoted him to "King Jimothy," "Saint Jimothy," and Seattle’s "sweet prince." "Hot Jimothy Summer," a play on Megan Thee Stallion's "hot girl summer," has become the unofficial slogan surrounding the unusually shaped animal.

SEE ALSO: The internet is worried about Punch the monkey. The zoo says he's OK.

Jimothy’s sudden fame began with one fairly reasonable question: What exactly are we looking at?

This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed. Meet Jimothy, Seattle's unusually shaped raccoon

Kiana Hall encountered Jimothy while walking with her husband through Ballard on July 13.

Hall initially thought the animal moving beneath a parked car was a cat and pulled out her phone to get a better look. Then it emerged with the familiar masked face of a raccoon and a much less familiar body shape.

Hall posted the video on Instagram and named the raccoon Jimothy, a decision based less on a complicated backstory than an immediate feeling.

"He just looked like a 'Jimothy' to me," Hall told TODAY.com. "I don't have any other explanation other than I looked at him and he looked like a 'Jimothy.'"

The name stuck. The video garnered millions of views, while people around Ballard began sharing their own footage of the distinctive raccoon, who's become a welcome sight in the neighborhood.

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Jimothy has a noticeably shortened torso and neck, giving him the round, compressed appearance that first caught Hall's attention. Marcie Logsdon, an associate professor at Washington State University's Veterinary Teaching Hospital, told The Seattle Times that his shape is likely the result of a congenital spinal deformity.

Some reports have identified the condition as short spine syndrome (SSS), which can cause vertebrae to become shortened or compressed. Jimothy has not been examined by a veterinarian; therefore, there is no confirmed diagnosis based on the videos alone.

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Despite his unusual build, he appears able to walk, climb, find food, and move around the neighborhood independently.

"The fact that he’s made it to this age tells me that he’s managing and that he’s adapting," Logsdon added. "I was surprised and honestly a little bit inspired that he’s that resilient."

The footage also prompted Ballard residents to dig through their own camera rolls. One user, Ben Trammell, shared videos with a caption that said he believes they show a younger Jimothy living with a raccoon family in nearby cedar trees. He added that Jimothy’s mother and siblings appeared patient with him, sometimes helping or carrying him when he had difficulty keeping up.

It's a "Jimothy summer"

Clips spread from individual Instagram accounts across social media, including Reddit, where users started collecting possible sightings, older footage, fan art, memes, and updates. A dedicated r/JimothyRaccoon community popped up within days, while commenters declared it "Hot Jimothy Summer," called him "the most Seattle animal possible," and urged people to protect him "at all costs."

As his online following grew, tributes began showing up around Seattle. Artist Andrew Miller painted a mural of Jimothy, while Matt Inman, the cartoonist behind The Oatmeal, drew him in the style of a police sketch "in case the cops need it." Fans also shared paintings, crafts, memes, merchandise, and other artwork featuring the raccoon, producing enough posts that Seattle’s subreddit created a dedicated Jimothy art-and-crafts megathread.

Some admirers chose a more permanent tribute. Laura Exley, owner of Electric Kitten Tattoo in Ballard, said three customers had booked Jimothy tattoos by July 18, with at least 10 more contacting the studio. A Tacoma tattoo artist also offered discounted Jimothy tattoos and told customers they did not have to use the artist’s original design.

Local organizations soon joined the reaction online. The Seattle Public Library shared Jimothy-themed book recommendations, the University of Washington awarded him an honorary doctorate ("Dr. Jimothy"), and the Seattle Mariners temporarily changed a social media profile image to show the raccoon wearing a team cap.

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The Mariners then brought Jimothy into T-Mobile Park. During the team’s July 18 game against the San Francisco Giants, a costumed version of the raccoon joined the traditional seventh-inning Salmon Run, in which four oversized fish race around the stadium (Jimothy defeated all four).

The timing only added to the joke, though. Seattle entered the seventh inning trailing 3-0 and had gone 15 consecutive innings in the series without scoring. Shortly after Jimothy’s victory, Cole Young hit a three-run home run to tie the game, and the Mariners went on to win 4-3 in extra innings on a Julio Rodríguez sacrifice fly.

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Fans jokingly credited Jimothy with inspiring the comeback. Whatever role he played, he remains undefeated in professional mascot racing.

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Offline, Seattle City Councilmember Alexis Mercedes Rinck plans to commemorate "Jimothy Summer" during a community event at noon on July 26 in Bergen Place Park, near the Ballard Farmers Market. The gathering may include an art competition featuring some of the many Jimothy-inspired creations that have appeared since her video was posted.

The Washington State Department of Transportation found a more practical role for the rounded raccoon. In a Jimothy-themed litter PSA, the agency reminded drivers that "trash belongs in the trash can, not in the median," and warned that roadside garbage can draw raccoons and other wildlife into traffic. WSDOT said it spends about $17 million annually cleaning up highway litter and removed 726 tons of trash from state roads in 2025. "But do you really want him crossing four lanes of traffic to get to it?" the agency wrote. "NO."

Fans are being asked to keep their distance

Jimothy may now be a mascot and a meme, but the real raccoon is still a wild animal.

The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife has asked people not to approach, capture, pet, or feed him. Officials say Jimothy appears to be moving and finding food successfully and should be left to continue living independently.

Residents should also secure garbage, keep pet food indoors, lock pet doors at night, and avoid encouraging raccoons to become comfortable around people.

The Washington State Department of Health offered similar advice in its own Jimothy-themed Threads post.

“As long as you don't try to pet him, cuddle him, or feed him, Jimothy poses zero health risk," the department wrote.

People who encounter wildlife that appears injured or distressed in the Seattle area can contact the PAWS Wildlife Center for guidance.

For everyone else, there are plenty of ways to enjoy Jimothy from afar. The murals, memes, tattoos, and mascot races are fair game. The actual raccoon would probably prefer personal space.

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