Flat Eye presents a possible future which may be neither desirable nor avoidable.

To create this world and make it credible, MONKEY MOON took inspiration from the present. There is no lack of sources: online articles, social media videos, scientific journals and more. On the team's private chat, one observation came up again and again: ""when reality goes beyond fiction."" Things that may seem a long way off or even impossible in the game may in fact have already happened, and some of the game's narrative threads were directly inspired by these true stories.
As archivist for the project, my mission, toward the end of the development process, was to gather all of these articles to create this coherent bibliography. It provides a closer look at what inspired Flat Eye, of course, but also at our present--a time of such rapid, constant change that we don't even realize it's happening anymore.
The goal of this snapshot of the world is to place Flat Eye's major themes (artificial intelligence, the future of work, social change, etc.) in their context. The bibliography sorts articles into several different categories (with frequent overlaps) and provides a summary for each. If you're only after the links and references, you'll find it all at the bottom of the page.

September 2022. The archivist.

The products of the future already exist in some R&D lab somewhere, in an academic article, or in a creative mind. And sometimes, they're already among us. They turn up when we're not looking, and suddenly we don't understand the world we live in anymore. It looks nothing like the world we thought we knew. Welcome.

Elle avale son AirPod au lieu d’un médicament et envoie un message vocal depuis son ventre

Published on November 23 2021

Seen by Flat Eye team on November 24 2021

{Content in French}

An American woman accidentally swallowed a bluetooth earbud, mistaking it for a pill. She realized her error when she used Apple's Find Airbuds feature, which made it beep from inside her body. She has since expelled it naturally, but she never reused it.

https://www.ouest-france.fr/high-tech/apple/elle-avale-son-airpod-au-lieu-d-un-medicament-et-envoie-un-message-vocal-depuis-son-ventre-c7fa83ba-4c3d-11ec-bccc-b8f31b18ad36#Echobox=1637685060

Note from the archivist: She tells her story on her TikTok account @iamcarliiib. The tale inspired a Flat Eye story line.

[WT-21] See reference details

Controversial ‘suicide pod’ that ‘kills peacefully’ gets go-ahead in Switzerland

Published on December 07 2021

Seen by Flat Eye team on December 09 2021

{Content in English}

Sarco's inventor (the name comes from sarcophagus, of course) had been trying to make his "unique" device--a 3D printed capsule that allows users to commit suicide "gently"--work since 2017. In late 2021, the device was finally authorized in Switzerland. The inventor also wants to make the blueprint public so anyone can print their own Sarco.

https://nypost.com/2021/12/07/controversial-suicide-pod-that-kills-peacefully-gets-go-ahead-in-switzerland/

[WT-22] See reference details

Chemical emitted by babies could make men more docile, women more aggressive

Published on November 19 2021

Seen by Flat Eye team on December 13 2021

{Content in English}

Hexadecanal is a chemical substance emitted by humans--and especially by babies--that makes men less aggressive and women more aggressive. Scientists believe it may be an evolutionary development designed to promote infant survival by protecting them from a potential attack from their father and encouraging their mother to defend them.

https://www.science.org/content/article/chemical-emitted-babies-could-make-men-more-docile-women-more-aggressive

Note from the archivist: Found via the agregator Ycombinator with this comment: “I don't know if this is the same chemical that is released by decaying humans, but the few times I was exposed to decaying human bodies (forgotten elderly people in apartment complexes), I felt an overwhelming calming feeling.” Which in turn inspired this comment from the development team: “Narrative fuel for Flat Eye”.

[WT-23] See reference details

An algorithm has been developed that creates artificial human DNA

Published on December 27 2021

Seen by Flat Eye team on December 28 2021

{Content in English}

Researchers at the University of Paris Saclay (France) and the University of Tartu (Estonia) used an AI to generate pieces of artificial human DNA. They see this accomplishment as useful for research: an artificial genome doesn't belong to anyone, so it's easier to do experiments on it.

https://deepfakechallenge.com/gb/2021/12/27/9022/

[WT-34] See reference details

Un écran léchable en développement

Published on December 31 2021

Seen by Flat Eye team on January 01 2022

{Content in French}

A Japanese researched has developed TTTV or "Taste the TV", a screen that exudes flavors, which consumers taste by licking the surface. Possible uses: menu choices, all sorts of games, sharing a meal via video, etc.

https://nofrag.com/un-ecran-lechable-en-developpement/

[WT-24] See reference details

Sony is Working on a 3D Scanner that will Allow Users to Put Real-World Items Into Video Games

Published on January 07 2022

Seen by Flat Eye team on January 10 2022

{Content in English}

Sony is trying to obtain a patent for a smartphone app that would allow users to 3D scan a real object and then manifest it in the game they're playing.

https://gamerant.com/sony-3d-scanner/

Note from the archivist: There are plenty of augemented reality apps that use Lidar technology to 3D scan objects (Polycam, Scaniverse, etc.).

[WT-25] See reference details

Men Are Creating AI Girlfriends and Then Verbally Abusing Them

Published on January 18 2022

Seen by Flat Eye team on January 20 2022

{Content in English}

Quotes from users of the app Replika who create virtual girlfriend chatbots for the sole purpose of mistreating them. The article expresses surprise about the fact that such reprehensible behaviors are already so widespread.

https://futurism.com/chatbot-abuse

Note from the archivist: Comment on the Monkey Moon forum: "Someday someone will need to explain that dystopian fiction isn't meant to serve as a how-to manual."

[WT-26] See reference details

Un chirurgien de l'AP-HP a mis en vente sur Opensea, sous forme donc de NFT, la radio d'une personne blessée lors des attentats du Bataclan qu'il a opéré

Published on January 22 2022

Seen by Flat Eye team on January 22 2022

{Content in French}

A hand surgeon put an NFT of an X-ray of a patient wounded during the Bataclan terrorist attacks in Paris up for auction. He claims he's doing it to "interest people" and "teach them something". The victim did not authorize the transaction.

https://twitter.com/w_chloe/status/1484896561960259587

Note from the archivist: The surgeon canceled the auction. Charges have been filed: his trial is scheduled to begin on September 21, 2022.

[WT-27] See reference details

La Chine développe des utérus artificiels humains autonomes surveillés par une IA

Published on February 16 2022

Seen by Flat Eye team on February 17 2022

{Content in French}

Chinese scientists are said to be working on artificial uteruses (or "long-term embryo growth devices") to make it possible for fetuses to develop without human intervention. A "nanny robot" managed by an AI would monitor development and tend to their needs.

https://www.futura-sciences.com/tech/actualites/intelligence-artificielle-chine-developpe-uterus-artificiels-humains-autonomes-surveilles-ia-96784/

[WT-28] See reference details

Prisoners Could Serve '1,000 Year Sentences In 8.5 Hours' In The Future

Published on March 18 2014

Seen by Flat Eye team on March 14 2022

{Content in English}

What if being sent to prison isn't a harsh enough punishment? The article includes several hypotheses for making sentences worse, including developing synthetic drugs that modify perception of time to make prison stays feel infinite and uploading criminals' brains to computers to make time pass a million times faster.

https://www.businessinsider.com/prisoners-could-serve-1000-year-sentence-in-85-hours-in-the-future-2014-3?op=1&r=US&IR=T

Note from the archivist: As I write these lines, it is still impossible to upload your mind to a computer and overclock it.

[WT-29] See reference details

References