I recall reading a short story some time ago (years?) that I can no longer recall the author or story name.
The setting was on Earth, I cannot recall what the time period was. The premise was that there was a group of scientists trying to create a simulation of the universe.
The story begins with one of the scientists making a breakthrough and calling the other members of the team into the lab. He shows them the simulation he is running. He zooms the simulation in to their lab. The simulation shows the people currently in the room on the screen exactly how they are in the "real" world. The breakthrough-scientist then goes a step further - he has the simulation put some actual object in the room with the scientists (a camera? a box? I don't recall exactly what). As he executes this, the object that he puts in the simulation appears in the "real" world alongside them, showing that the scientists in fact are part of the simulation themselves.
Anyone know what story this could be and who wrote it?