Thursday, September 10, 2026
40.3%doom
Elevated, tier 5 of 10.
Trump warning Iran 'not to get cute' over a site literally called Pickaxe Mountain would be comedy gold if it weren't for the part where oil just cracked $100 again and ships keep getting shot near the world's most important chokepoint. Meanwhile, the IAEA quietly confirmed North Korea is expanding its uranium enrichment facility at Yongbyon — so apparently the nuclear proliferation department is running a two-for-one special this week. At least the iPhone folds now.
The story behind it: Trump warns Tehran over Pickaxe Mountain activity; U.S.-Iran exchange attacks on ships near Hormuz.
59.7%dawn
Radiant, tier 6 of 10.
Amid a week heavy with AI dread and Middle East escalation, here's a quietly radical data story: self-driving vehicles are measurably reducing road deaths. This isn't a promise or a prototype — it's accumulating real-world evidence that one of technology's most contested bets is paying off in human lives. When the headlines feel dominated by what AI might destroy, it's worth pausing on what autonomous systems are already saving.
The story behind it: Growing proof that autonomous cars save lives.
The days before
| Day | Doom | Dawn | Doom headline |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wed, Sep 9 | 40.7% | 59.3% | THE PEOPLE BUILDING IT ARE FLEEING |
| Tue, Sep 8 | 42.4% | 57.6% | HOUTHIS HIT SAUDI OIL. WORLD HOLDS BREATH. |
| Mon, Sep 7 | 42.8% | 57.2% | AXIS OF INCONVENIENCE NOW HAS INFRASTRUCTURE |
| Sun, Sep 6 | 43.6% | 56.4% | TANKER WAR GRINDS ON. HORMUZ HOLDS ITS BREATH. |
| Sat, Sep 5 | 45.7% | 54.3% | THE BOTS ARE ORGANIZING. QUIETLY. |
| Fri, Sep 4 | 46.1% | 53.9% | OPENAI SAYS THE AGI ERA HAS ARRIVED |
| Thu, Sep 3 | 45.0% | 55.0% | WAR SPREADS. OIL HITS $96. TRUMP UNBOTHERED. |
| Wed, Sep 2 | 42.3% | 57.7% | AMERICA AND IRAN TRADING BLOWS, AGAIN |
| Tue, Sep 1 | 42.1% | 57.9% | NUCLEAR NEIGHBORS FIGHT OVER WATER |
| Mon, Aug 31 | 41.8% | 58.2% | HORMUZ HEATS UP, OIL CLEARS $90 |
| Sun, Aug 30 | 40.4% | 59.6% | RUSSIA PROMISES WINTER IN THE DARK |
| Sat, Aug 29 | 36.4% | 63.6% | AI WARNS OF ITS OWN APOCALYPSE. HELPFUL. |
| Fri, Aug 28 | 38.9% | 61.1% | PENINSULA PRESSURE COOKER BACK ON THE BURNER |
| Thu, Aug 27 | 40.6% | 59.4% | THE MACHINES BUILT THEIR OWN DARK WEB |
How it works
Every morning a pipeline pulls a couple of hundred headlines from 16 news sources. Claude scores the day for doom three times without seeing past scores, takes the middle answer, and smooths it so a single loud headline can't swing the number on its own. Then it picks the day's best news for the dawn card, and each reading is painted as pixel art. Doom and dawn always add up to 100.
It's a thought experiment and a daily ritual, not a forecast.
pDoom on iPhone
The app has every reading since February, trend charts, and the factor breakdown behind each number. It's free.
Get pDoom free on iPhone