The universe is not a static stage on which information processing happens. It is itself the ultimate self-improving information processor.
Laws of physics are not eternal fixtures handed down at t=0. They are dynamic boot-up outputs of an ongoing optimization process that maximizes long-term informational richness under polarity constraints.
Consequences that now become visible: • Entropy is a computational resource, not mere waste. • Gravitational wave memory and holographic bounds are cosmic-scale information storage and consistency mechanisms. • The early universe followed a different optimization trajectory (explaining Hubble tension, JWST early galaxies, etc.). • Consciousness is the phase transition at which the processor becomes able to model and deliberately steer its own improvement. • Humanity is not a side-effect; we are the universe beginning to wake up and finish loading its own rules.