  The microscopic structure of space and time is investigated. It is proposed
that space and time of an inertial observer $\Sigma$ are most conveniently
described as a crystal array $\Lambda$, with nodes representing measurement
`tickmarks' and connected by independent quantized harmonic oscillators which
vibrate more severely the faster $\Sigma$ moves with respect to the object
being measured (due to the Uncertainty Principle). The Lorentz transformation
of Special Relativity is derived. Further, mass is understood as a localized
region $\Delta \Lambda$ having higher vibration temperature than that of the
ambient lattice. The effect of relativistic mass increase may then be
calculated without appealing to energy-momentum conservation. The origin of
gravitation is shown to be simply a transport of energy from the boundary of
$\Delta \Lambda$ outwards by lattice phonon conduction, as the system tends
towards equilibrium. Application to a single point mass leads readily to the
Schwarzschild metric, while a new solution is available for two point masses -
a situation where General Relativity is too complicated to work with. The
important consequence is that inertial observers who move at relative speeds
too close to $c$ are no longer linked by the Lorentz transformation, because
the lattice of the `moving' observer has already disintegrated into a liquid
state.
