Assertion 1 is quite weak. The stronger version is that consciousness is the mechanism by which the universe processes information, and choice (as we experience it) is the mechanism by which the universe updates its state. Under this assertion, the laws of physics are nothing more than an application of the central limit theorem on the distribution of conscious choices made by all the little bits of the universe involved in the system. This view also implies that space and reality are "virtual" or "imaginary" much like George Berkeley suggested 300 years ago.
I'm starting to buy this argument after rejecting it before (primarily thought ignorance of the meaning of "consciousness is the mechanism by which the universe processes information").
Also intersects with Hoffman's argument re: Conscious Realism. The only real thing is conscious experience, and "reality" as used in common parlance is just a multimodal user interface constructed to maximize evolutionary fitness.
