Coffee and a Mike Doomberg and Dave Collum #1351
Apr 8, 2026
Dave Collum, Cornell organic chemistry professor and incisive commentator, joins to dissect propaganda, Iran and regional fallout. They explore the idea of a prolonged global conflict, media-driven parallel narratives, and strategic leverage around the Strait of Hormuz. Energy themes include petrodollar shifts, peak oil debate, shale dynamics, and battery chemistry comparisons.
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Read Global South State Media For Alternate Data
- Doomberg recommends reading translations of state-run media from the Global South to gain additional data points and understand non-Western framing.
- He says English translations of many state outlets exist and treating them as inputs improves situational awareness.
Experiment Training A Pro-Iran Twitter Feed
- Doomberg describes the Doomburg team's experiment of creating a new iPad/Twitter feed to capture pro-Iranian algorithmic content during the war's opening days.
- He explains how the feeds diverged into 'two wholly different worlds' and how Twitter later removed some videos.
Energy Shifts Could Create Two Competing Petro Spheres
- Doomberg models geopolitical change like punctuated equilibrium: 50 years of stable oil order may split into competing petro-spheres (petrodollar vs petro-wan) driven by this conflict.
- He highlights the changing U.S. energy position post-shale (less reliant on Middle East oil) as a structural driver of this shift.
