“Awakening, I immediately wrote it down on a piece of paper.” – Dmitri Mendeleev, after dreaming the periodic table

ALTERD already lets you record thoughts in any altered state. Brilliance Detector is our latest feature: an AI that flags bursts of originality in your logs and gently pings you if the idea looks fresh, surprising, or technically bold.

Why catch brilliant-thoughts?

History shows that world-shifting insights often strike while minds are bent by psychedelics, cannabis, or even REM-sleep. Yet most of us forget the half-formed equation or chorus we scribbled at 3 a.m. Brilliance Detector preserves that fleeting spark and nudges you to refine it while it’s still hot.

You don’t need to do anything except record your thoughts! We’ll let you know if we detect something in the notifications tab.

Brilliance Detector Notification Example

Proof that altered-state flashes change the world

Psychedelics

Kary Mullis — PCR & Nobel Prize (LSD)
Mullis told Albert Hofmann that an LSD trip helped him visualise DNA amplification, leading to the PCR technique that underpins modern genetics. IFLScience
Steve Jobs — Apple design ethos (LSD)
Jobs called LSD “one of the most important things in my life,” crediting it for broadening his product vision. Business Insider
Dock Ellis — 1970 MLB no-hitter (LSD)
Pitched a complete no-hitter for the Pirates while still tripping; he later described the ball “like a beach ball.” ESPN

Cannabis

Carl Sagan — “Mr. X” essay (marijuana)
Wrote that marijuana “enhances the powers of my imagination” and helped generate scientific hypotheses. Organism Earth
Steve Jobs — creative relaxation (marijuana & hashish)
Reported that weed made him “relaxed and creative,” complementing his LSD insights. Psychological Science
Maya Angelou — early poems & memoir drafts
Angelou recounts positive, creativity-boosting cannabis sessions in Gather Together in My Name. Leaf Nation

Dream-State Surges

Otto Loewi (1920) — Conceived the frog-heart experiment proving chemical neurotransmission; Nobel 1936. PMC
Dmitri Mendeleev (1869) — Saw the periodic table “fall into place” in a dream. The Marginalian
August Kekulé (1865) — Envisioned benzene’s ring as a snake biting its tail. Wikipedia
Elias Howe (1846) — Noticed cannibals’ spears had holes at the tip, inspiring the modern sewing-machine needle. Reddit
Mary Shelley (1816) — “Waking dream” of a reanimated corpse birthed Frankenstein. Oxford English Dictionary
Paul McCartney (1964) — Entire melody of “Yesterday” came in a dream. Biography
Keith Richards (1965) — Dreamed the riff to “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction” & recorded it on waking. The New Yorker