Macrodosing: "Has The Sun Been Replaced With a Simulator?"

Episode Date: March 18, 2025
Hosts: PFT Commenter, Arian Foster (out this episode), Big T, Stephen Che, Mad Dog, Mackenzie
Podcast Theme: Exploring unconventional and wild conspiracy theories, with comedic tangents and banter.

Main Theme Overview

This episode leans into a bizarre internet conspiracy: has the sun been replaced with a giant LED “simulator”? The crew dives into social media circles convinced our sun is fake, dissecting their claims, memes, and logic. The discussion spirals into everything from camera lens flares to ancient traditions like St. Nick’s Day, college basketball, St. Patrick’s Day festivities, internet echo chambers, and a long riff about top movies and NCAA drama. The original tone is irreverent, skeptical, and unfiltered.

Key Segments & Discussion Points

1. St. Patrick’s Day Shenanigans ([02:14]–[06:39])

• The group swaps stories about getting pinched for not wearing green, and reminisces about childhood leprechaun pranks in classrooms.
• Mad Dog explains the tradition of St. Nick’s Day (December 6) and leaving shoes out for small gifts or candy, highlighting its Catholic roots.
  • “My mom still sends me like a care package every December 6th to celebrate St. Nick's Day.” – Mad Dog [05:42]
• The group jokes about “an hors d’oeuvre of presents” leading up to Christmas.

2. The Sun Simulator Conspiracy Theory ([06:43]–[19:19])

Introduction

• Big T introduces a new online “guy”—Sun Simulator Guy—discovered in anti-sunscreen Twitter circles.
  • “There's a community of people that believe the sun was replaced. And we have a new sun, a different sun than the one we had back in 1975.” - Big T [08:39]
• Stephen Che and Big T highlight wild social posts: people mistaking lens flares and camera auto-exposure for evidence of a fake sun.
  • “Like, angular simulator sun. Lens flare. Shows me the truth.” – Stephen Che [09:17]

Unpacking the Claims

• Big T: “If you search hashtag Sun Simulator, you'll find a community that believes the sun has been replaced with a cold white, harsh ‘LED’ in the sky.”
  • Wonders about the logistics: “Where did they build the new sun?”
• Mocking posts: pictures of normal skies tagged “If you think this is normal, I don’t know what to tell you. #wearebeingradiated #sunsimulator” [10:25]
• Mackenzie jokes: “Maybe they swapped it out during the eclipse.”
  • Theorizing: “That's when they change the bulb out, the replacement.” – Big T [10:54]

Delving into the Community

• Mad Dog reads from Reddit/Facebook: exaggerated differences between “real” sunsets and “simulator” sunsets (“Simulator sunsets are hexagonal, give off a horrible blue white light…” [15:05])
• Older participants online describe feeling that the sun looks and moves differently than when they were young; confusion about seasons is discussed.

Absurd Conclusions

• Big T: Highlights a post claiming “the new sun is powered by nuclear power and it gives people radiation poisoning,” ironically explaining how the real sun works.
  • “That's actually true. That person described how the sun works accurately.” – Big T [16:22]
• Predicting when conspiracy threads will turn antisemitic.
  • “How many levels deep do you think I need to get into reading about the sun simulator until somebody blames it on Jews?” – Big T [16:51]
• The crew riff on simulator video games, pondering a future Sun Simulator game.

3. TikTok/Algorithm Echo Chambers ([19:19]–[20:01])

• Mad Dog is “in an echo chamber of my own making” on TikTok, avoiding algorithmic craziness.
  • “I curate my algorithm… I am in an echo chamber of my own making.” – Mad Dog [19:46]

4. College Basketball & March Madness Bracketology ([20:01]–[39:04])

NCAA Tournament & Teams Chat

• Big T congratulates Stephen Che on his Tennessee Volunteers success.
• Extended talk on 7’9” French Canadian basketball player Olivier Rioux:
  • “He cut the net down standing on flat feet without using the ladder.” – Big T [22:27]
  • Musings on what it’s like to be 7’9”; would you trade places just for NBA millions?

Bracket Conspiracy & Drama ([31:14]–[39:04])

• Governor of West Virginia threatens legal action over NCAA bracket decisions.
  • “His podium reads: National Corrupt Athletic Association.” – Stephen Che [31:34]
• Reminiscing about governors threatening lawsuits over playoff snubs.
• Heavy sarcasm about press conferences and “basketball puns” in politics.
• Gripes about committee members benefiting personally when their schools get good seedings.
• Wraps up as hosts preview their picks for the Final Four, expressing skepticism over certain team inclusions.

5. News Highlights & The COVID Lab Leak Op-Ed ([39:11]–[40:31])

• Brief discussion about a New York Times opinion piece shifting more evidence toward COVID-19 originating from a lab leak, rather than a wet market.
  • “There's direct evidence that scientists… privately said, obviously it did [come from a lab].” – Stephen Che [39:46]
  • Skepticism, but open to the possibility.

6. Pet Peeves & St. Patrick’s Day in Chicago ([40:38]–[48:04])

• Stephen Che vents about “34-year-olds wearing green beads” and the chaos of Chicago’s St. Patrick’s celebration.
• Pet peeve: “Schools dropping ‘State’ from their name”—McNeese State, Nichols State.
• Mad Dog recounts starting to drink at 9:30 AM, curating bar tickets, and aging out of the ‘hard party’ demographic.
  • “I bought tickets for the bars and whole thing. I don’t know how much longer I’ll be doing that… I’m spending a lot of money to go to the same bars I go to for free most weekends.” – Mad Dog [44:17]

7. Listener Voicemails & Naming Top Movies ([49:32]–[62:59])

Best Movie Debate ([51:23]–[62:59])

• Listener asks for everyone’s top movies.
• Big T: “Forrest Gump, Shawshank, Training Day, Dumb and Dumber, Goodfellas.”
• Stephen Che: “Shawshank, Moneyball, Social Network, The Hangover.”
• Mad Dog: Romcoms and coming-of-age: “When Harry Met Sally, You’ve Got Mail, Call Me By Your Name, Little Women, Moneyball, Dune 2.”
• Animated picks: “Toy Story, Lion King, Finding Nemo.”

Memorable Anecdote

• Big T shares the story of his “first boob touch” during Good Will Hunting:
  • “She just takes my hand and she puts it right—boom—right on the boob.” – Big T [57:44]

Adam Sandler’s Comedy Run

• Tribute to Sandler’s run of hits (Happy Gilmore, Billy Madison, Wedding Singer, Waterboy, Mr. Deeds, 50 First Dates).

Titanic as a Cultural Touchstone

• Big T saw Titanic six times in theaters: “If you didn’t grow up in the era that I grew up in, Titanic changed everything.”
• Debate: is Titanic a ‘chick flick’? Discussion of “women and children first” as a controversial new target of woke skepticism.

8. Sports Trivia: NFL Passer Ratings ([70:20]–[83:56])

• Listener challenges: Name the 8 QBs who account for the 10 highest single-season NFL passer ratings.
• The group works (and struggles) through it, with clues and slow reveals.
  • Surprising answers: Nick Foles and Ryan Tannehill.
• Big T: “I think if you hadn't narrowed it down to division, I don't know that we would have got it.” [82:48]

9. Location Sharing Culture ([87:01]–[88:44])

• Question: Do young people really share their phone locations constantly?
  • Mad Dog: “Yeah, I’ve got like 30 people’s locations.”
  • “I check on my friends, like when we go home from the bar, when I want to know what everyone's up to…” [87:15]
• General consensus: It’s mostly a young and female-driven trend.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Big T: “There's a community… that believe the sun was replaced. And we have a new sun, a different sun than the one we had back in 1975.” [08:39]
• Stephen Che: “If you think this is normal, it's literally the sun.” [10:39]
• Big T (mocking conspiracies): “What did they do with the old sun?” [09:34]
• On the anti-sunscreen crowd: “They're just like taking causation and correlation and fucking that up in their own brain.” – Big T [07:48]
• On St. Patrick’s Day in Chicago: “Go. You should have a family. Go be with your children.” – Stephen Che [40:51]
• On Adam Sandler’s Peak: “I don't think anybody's ever had a heater like Adam Sandler had in that stretch of time.” – Big T [59:41]
• First Boob Touch Anecdote: “She just takes my hand and she puts it right—boom—right on the boob.” – Big T [57:44]

Episode Tone & Style

This episode exemplifies the Macrodosing vibe:

• Skeptical, wildly irreverent, and improvisational.
• The hosts have fun spiraling through internet lunacy (Sun Simulator!), but also go deep into everyday nostalgia, pop culture, sports nerdery, and the absurdity of online trends.
• In-jokes, friendly insults, and highly specific cultural references fly, giving listeners an insider feel (but plenty of context provided for newcomers).

Segment Timestamps

• St. Patrick’s Day & Childhood Traditions: 02:14–06:39
• Sun Simulator Conspiracy: 06:43–19:19
• Algorithm/Echo Chamber Chat: 19:19–20:01
• NCAA/Bracketology/College Basketball: 20:01–39:04
• News & COVID Op-Ed: 39:11–40:31
• Pet Peeves/St. Patrick’s Day in Chicago: 40:38–48:04
• Listener Voicemails/Movies Segment: 49:32–62:59
• NFL Passer Ratings Game: 70:20–83:56
• Location Sharing & Life Chat: 87:01–88:44

Summary for the Uninitiated

If you want the Macrodosing experience, this episode delivers: wild conspiracies (fake sun!), sports and pop culture rants, and moments of surprisingly sharp social observation—all filtered through a hilarious, skeptical lens.
Key takeaways: The sun is (probably) real, college traditions are weird, not all internet algorithms are bad, St. Patrick’s in Chicago is a headache, and you should always check for lens flares before joining a conspiracy.