Hello Stephen,
Interesting essay. Since your essay deals with some of the same foundational issues of Quantum Physics, I want to draw your attention to my essay ("A World Without Quanta?") that among other things presents a continuous derivation of Planck's Law of blackbody radiation. This derivation shows that Planck's Law is an exact mathematical truism that describes the interaction of measurement (and energy exchange more generally). I think you will find this both interesting and significant. It may even trigger some new thoughts along these lines ...
best wishes,
Constantinos