@freemo Julian Barbour researches this idea where time is just changes in configuration space.
I have been (casually) wondering for quite a while: what if gravity is a consequence of some sort of bias in interactions, i.e. out of number of viable interactions the bias determines the actual interaction that takes place. As-in, gravity is such a subtle force that I wonder if it is a subtle side-effect of something else. (It would reduce the whole time-space-mass thing by a lot.)

@cobratbq To a certain extent isnt that all quantum mechanics? Just random interactions that average out to having a bias?

@freemo well, sure, but you're approaching it statistically now. Looking at the theories there's all the juggling with fields and particles, force-carriers, etc. There such a comprehensive framework.
Julian Barbour mentioned in a recent presentation that I watched with a casual "letting the information flow" kind of attitude, that his recent work may have removed the need for wave function collapse. Now I have only very superficial idea but I know his ideas make a lot of things simpler.

@freemo it's like having a alternative view to not get stuck in the hype too much.

@cobratbq The interpretation leaves a lot to be desired. but the math predicts reality and that makes it correct as much as any other model is correct. So long as it makes consistently valid predictions then the model is right, even if our understanding or interpretation is not.