I had originally conceived this story idea in August 2018; that year, I found a YouTube recording of the album Monty Python's Contractual Obligation and heard the Treadmill Lager sketch. The mixed/swirled marble paint images seen in the smartphone ad scenes were inspired by the marketing branding for iPhones in the mid-to-late 2010s.
Finally, on a more sad note, this issue is dedicated to the memory of my mother, Liz Jacoby (July 27, 1964 - April 29, 2020), who died due to complications from SMART syndrome.