Ninjas Are Butterflies – Episode 166

The Buga Sphere, Philip K. Dick, and China’s Sunken Mysteries

Released: October 31, 2025
Hosts: Josh Hooper, Andy DeNoon, Lily, L

Episode Overview

This special Halloween episode of Ninjas Are Butterflies is packed with humor, bizarre tales, spooky vibes, and quirky discussions. From the ancient and mysterious Buga Sphere of Colombia, to the sci-fi visions of Philip K. Dick, and the bottomless pits in China, the hosts weave together wild stories and conspiracy theories all with their signature comedic banter. It’s a lively and outrageous journey through pop culture, weird history, spiritual musings, and a fair share of absurdity—plus plenty of dogs and Halloween costumes.

Table of Contents

1. Spooky Season & Costumes
2. Halloween Song: "These Are The Things That Really Scare Me"
3. Pop Culture Tangents
4. Strange News: Katy Perry, Trudeau, and Exploding Cigars
5. The Buga Sphere Update
6. Alien Encounters & The Strange Night Sky
7. Dog Stories, Fights, & Heroic Pups
8. Traffic Jams in China’s Golden Week
9. Chinese Bottomless Pits: Longyou Caves
10. America’s Dyatlov Pass: The Yuba County Five
11. Philip K. Dick, The Multiverse, and Secret Downloads
12. Morality, Meaning, & Spirituality Debates

Spooky Costumes & Halloween Vibes (02:12)

• The group opens with Halloween energy: costumes, jokes, and recurring bits about being the Kandahar Giant, British soldiers, and Rosie O’Donnell.

• "Halloween is here, and this is on Halloween—first time ever, the episode drops on Halloween." – Andy (03:17)

• Halloween TV Talk & Salaries:

  • Stranger Things cast pay discussed with wild speculation and actual figures.
  • Friendships, fandom, and childhood stars earning millions.

Halloween Song: "These Are The Things That Really Scare Me" (10:24)

A highlight of the show—a fully improvised, tongue-in-cheek Halloween song, with Andy and Lily performing verses about their fears.

"Long voice, smells, public speaking and being in the dark
Pasta that moves, Kim Jong Un swimming with the sharks..."
– Andy & Lily (10:40)

Hilarious, disjointed, and true to the podcast’s absurd, friendly tone.

Pop Culture Tangents (07:04)

• NSYNC, Backstreet Boys Producer Scandal:

  • Lucrative (and shady) music deals, Band rivalries, and the greed of 90s pop moguls.
  • "He started a fake rivalry between the two, and then they found out, 'Oh, you represent both of them.' It was nuts." – Andy (07:26)

• Music Industry Connections:

  • Blur’s singer also created Gorillaz, lived with Gorillaz’ animator, and wanted “a no-face band.”
  • "This guy was a true creative visionary." – L (09:41)

Strange News: Katy Perry, Trudeau, & Exploding Cigars (19:32)

• Katy Perry & Justin Trudeau: Rumors of them together, connections to political legacies, and conspiracy-theory fun (Castro’s son, etc).
• Exploding Cigars and CIA Plots:
  • "They literally built an exploding cigar. That was an official plan by the CIA." – Andy (21:15)

The Buga Sphere Update (28:12)

One of the episode’s key segments.

• Origin: Found in Buga, Colombia. Now in hands of Hami Massan (of Mexican “mummy” fame).
• Details:
  • "They did the carbon dating… the resin on this Buga Sphere was 12,560 years old." – Lily (29:54)
  • Made of “aluminum mixed with rare earth metals.”
  • Original weight: 2kg; Now: 10kg. “Not growing, just more dense” – it seems to get heavier.
• Language on the Sphere: Proto-Sanskrit, the oldest known human language.
• Inscribed story: Describes “great oceans moving, the end of one world, the beginning of another”—ancient flood?
• Mystery: The original finder became ill – possibly radiation?
• Skeptics: "It seems fake… but what if that’s what they want us to believe?" – Lily (32:19)
• *Open invitation for scientists to test it, as long as it’s not damaged.

Q: “Why isn’t this bigger news? People can’t explain why it’s getting heavier.” – Andy (32:08)

Alien Sightings & The Strange Night Sky (33:54)

• An odd, color-pulsing “star” observed by the hosts—possible drone or UFO, but the group can’t debunk it.
• Lily: "I went out the same time these past two nights. Not there." (34:49)

Dog Stories, Fights, & Heroic Pups (35:34)

• Corgi scares off pit bull.
• Dog fights near kids; chaotic retelling of trying to break up a fight.
• Firefighter cousin’s romance story: Leaping fences to reach a girlfriend after her accident while juggling a hated dog.
• Old man’s dog Eeyore leads police to his missing wife at night (touching viral TikTok story).

China’s Golden Week Traffic Jam (43:01)

• 36-lane expressway outside Beijing, gridlocked for 24 hours during national “Golden Week.”
• Discussion about modern urban planning, AI-generated traffic video skepticism, and survival strategies for gigantic jams.
• "What would you do, stuck in traffic for a full day?" – Andy (44:33)

Chinese “Bottomless Pits”: Longyou Caves (68:07)

• 1992 discovery:
  • Villagers believed dozens of ponds were bottomless.
  • A farmer pumps one dry, revealing massive, hand-carved underground caves—24 in total!
• Features:
  • Dates to 200 BCE – 23 CE; Ceilings up to 90ft (30m) high; sandstone construction; ancient carvings and statues ("Cave of the Immortals").
• Mystery:
  • "The vast amount of earth they had to move… No idea where it was put. The caves have been underwater for at least 2,000 years." – Lily (70:12)
• Vibes:
  • Discussions of “watchers,” angels, and potential links to ancient supernatural lore.

America’s Dyatlov Pass: The Yuba County Five (75:45)

• True crime, missing persons, and strange circumstances:
  • Five male friends disappear after a basketball game in 1978, Yosemite foothills.
  • Car found far off-route, not stuck, plenty of gas, windows down, no keys; heavy snow.
  • Months later:
    • One body found in a service trailer, wrapped in blankets, died of hypothermia and starvation—had food, heat, matches, but never used them.
    • Beard indicates survival for 8–12 weeks. Shoes switched with missing companion’s.
    • Other remains found scattered in wilderness; one man (Gary) never recovered.
• Unsolved: Why did they change course? Why abandon the car? Did something supernatural happen—or a psychotic episode?
• "It's almost more weird than the Dyatlov Pass to me." – Andy (87:40)

Philip K. Dick: Multiverses, Computer Realities, & Government Surveillance (96:26)

• Author of Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? (Blade Runner), prolific 60s–80s sci-fi visionary.
• 1977: Publicly claims “we are living in a computer programmed reality” (simulation theory before it was cool).
• Claims:
  • “Reality can be altered in subtle ways, not fully replaced.”
  • Inspired elements of multiverse theories and the Mandela Effect; “echoes from another version of reality.”
  • Alleged “pink beam” vision: downloads another reality’s memories, saves his son's life, begins years of “downloads” from VALIS (Vast Active Living Intelligence System).
• Tech he anticipated: Predictive policing, AI, driverless cars, virtual reality, 3D printing, Internet.
• Spooky: CIA and FBI trailed him, raided his house, confiscated documents.
• Musing: AI, demons, Gnostic heresies, and time—"Could it be that those beings have the ability to also deceive/outside of time?" – Josh (109:22)

“If demons and fallen angels can perform miracles, it’s all to deceive.” – Lily (110:28)

Morality, Meaning, & Spirituality Debates (53:36)

• Discussion of The Diary of a CEO’s debate on faith, atheism, and purpose.
• Key Quote:
  • "Pray that God reveals Himself to you. If you’re looking for meaning with a capital M, invite God into your life and recognize your ultimate meaning in this cosmic reality." – Christian apologist, paraphrased by L (55:53)
• **Hosts reflect on the bleakness of atheistic worldviews, the happiness of the religious, and science “catching up to God.”
• Extended unique observations on oral tradition, remembering, and why New Testament testimony may have more validity than modern skeptics admit.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On predicting the future:
  "A 20th-century author... predicting the future. And guess what? The CIA, they ain't liking it." – Andy (01:00)
• On conspiracy theories:
  "What if that’s what they want us to believe?" – Lily (32:19) "It’s growing in weight. People can’t explain it." – Andy (32:08)
• On spooky season:
  "Happy Halloween. Are you ready for some spooky stories?" – Lily (02:18)
• On the mundane and absurd:
  "Long voice, smells, public speaking and being in the dark... Pasta that moves, Kim Jong Un swimming with the sharks..." – Andy & Lily (10:40)
• On faith and hope:
  "Some people think this life is it, but it’s just a teeny tiny fragment." – Lily (51:22)
• On life’s mysteries:
  "Just looking at the photos, I get a weird vibe. And I’m excellent at picking up vibes. That’s a weird one." – Andy (74:20)

Episode Tone

Lighthearted, irreverent, and packed with tangents—yet the hosts strike a sincere, thoughtful note when discussing faith, mystery, and loss. They bring the listener along on a journey through real-life puzzles, conspiracies, outrageous theories, and pop culture oddities, underpinned by self-deprecating humor and close camaraderie.

Timestamps Guide

• Costumes & Halloween banter: 02:12 – 09:07
• Pop culture & music industry tangents: 07:04 – 09:07
• Halloween improvised song: 10:24 – 12:26
• Strange News: Perry/Trudeau & CIA Cigars: 19:32 – 22:23
• Buga Sphere Deep Dive: 28:12 – 33:54
• Alien sightings & the yard: 33:54 – 35:31
• Dog stories: 35:34 – 43:01
• China's traffic nightmare: 43:01 – 47:31
• Chinese bottomless pits: 68:07 – 75:40
• Yuba County Five mystery: 75:45 – 88:29
• Philip K. Dick & reality as simulation: 96:26 – 111:03

Note: Advertisements, sponsor plugs (Tempo, AG1, Wayfair, Sunday Cool Tees), and additional playful banter were not included in the summary.

Summary Takeaway

This episode embodies everything that sets Ninjas Are Butterflies apart: it’s an unpredictable, side-splitting odyssey across true crime, ancient mysteries, conspiracy theories, pop culture, faith, and everything in between. Through ghost stories, philosophical ruminations, and the ever-present possibility of alien or supernatural interference, the hosts encourage the listener to keep their mind open, their humor sharp, and to never underestimate the mystery of the world (or a dog’s loyalty) on a spooky Halloween night.