Dear Phillip,
I knew there's a reason I always prioritize reading your contributions to these contests. Excellent work, and you certainly succeeded in your aim of provoking the readers' minds.
I particularly like this sort of theory-independent view in terms of events: whatever the fundamental theory may turn out to be, it has to have events within it in some form, be those worldlines crossing, particles of all conceivable kinds interacting, string splittings or whatever. So let's not worry about those details for the moment, but rather, think in terms of those events, and the stories that can be told with them.
One tiny bit of criticism I have is that there's many deep and possibly controversial ideas that aren't developed in the way they deserve (although that is likely owed to the length restrictions, and I'm also aware that this is a criticism you could probably lob straight back at my own essay if/when it gets posted). In particular on topics where I perceive some confluence with my own thinking---like the relative nature of reality, or the idea that in terms of information, 'nothing' and 'everything' are really the same---I would have liked more discussion, just to see how somebody like you develops these notions.
But these are the complaints of one having been hooked by your ideas, and now finding themselves jonesing for more. Which, as you said, is really all you intended with this essay.
All the algebraic stuff has re-awoken that curious sense that if you could just take one further step back, you'd just see the big picture pop out. There are so many tantalizing hints and connections, it's hard to believe that there isn't some fundamental story to be told in these terms.
But I think that's for someone smarter than me to discover. I may get back to meddling with this some day (although my love of the octonions means that I'm skeptical of requiring associativity---alternativity is really all you need!), but for now, I'll concentrate on other matters.