Apple Pioneer Bill Atkinson Was a Secret Evangelist of the 'God Molecule'

"But few people know that later in life he was a secret advocate of what's widely considered the world's most potent psychedelic: 5-MeO-DMT. The hallucinogen, also called "the God molecule," is a compound found in the venomous secretions of the Sonoran Desert toad named Incilius alvarius (it's commonly called Bufo alvarius) and is known to bring about ego death, a total dissolution of the senses, and a euphoric feeling of existential connectedness, all in a roughly 20-minute trip."

""The same creative mind who affected personal computers so profoundly continued to influence human evolution through his efforts to make the miracle of 'bufo' safer and more manageable," says friend Charles Lindsay, an artist who has worked with the SETI Institute, which works to find signs of extraterrestrial intelligence. "He truly pushed boundaries. That requires a willingness to consider what might easily be deemed ridiculous." Or, he adds, "risky.""

Bill Atkinson was a computing pioneer who invented HyperCard and transformed personal computing with windows, menus, and graphics. Later in life he advocated lower doses of 5-MeO-DMT, a potent psychedelic. 5-MeO-DMT is found in the venomous secretions of the Sonoran Desert toad Incilius alvarius (Bufo alvarius) and delivers short, intense experiences that can include ego death, dissolution of the senses, and feelings of existential connectedness, typically lasting about 20 minutes. Atkinson participated in a private online community, OneLight, under the alias "Grace Within" and helped people access smaller, synthetically produced doses, believing reduced quantities would maximize therapeutic benefits while minimizing harm. Friends credited him with applying creative, boundary-pushing thinking to make the substance safer and more manageable.

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