What we need right now are new observations. Thankfully, the applied scientists and engineers keep building devices to take more accurate and more extreme measurements of energy and matter. Hopefully, the Large Hadron Collider will tie up some loose ends and maybe even uncover some new physics.

I've read where gravitational waves studies may help distinguish between some of the myriad alternative theories. It seems we're still quite a ways from measuring gravitatonal waves with the degree of accuracy that will be necessary though.

The only theorists I really respect are those that point the way to predictive measurements, so that theories can be weighed against one another.

I haven't been comfortable with the (very) finite universe proposed in the big bang for quite some time. It just seems too small when you think about large numbers in mathematics and how very big they can get. And somehow, I feel that mathematics in all its glory maps to "reality" even more than we now realize. I have a feeling no matter how big we think of the universe or multiverse or multidimensional multiverse, it will still be infinitely small as to what really exists.

OK here is my theory for the universe. This "little pocket finite" universe is actually a womb, in which a "god" is born into the "multiverse." It is up to us or others in our little universe to evolve to that "god" stage. OK now prove me wrong (lol).