"there seems little evidence that they could master complex machines"

I'm making one huge assumption, (among many others), that its possible the Great Pyramid is far older than we think. Much like some are saying the sphinx is far older based on the erosion patterns, I believe the pyramids could be as well. So with respect to the evidence you're referring to, which is that of a relatively recent race of around 4500 years ago, I agree. Those particular Egyptians couldn't have done it. Once I made that presumption, I had the choice of ancient aliens or an older civilization and I chose the latter.

"I agree except I wager we have vastly different estimation of how much work was required to build it."

Agreed. If you dismiss the building of it for a Pharaoh, then your not limited by the life time of that individual. If it were done by a previous more advanced civilization then it could have been done with highly advanced machines and taken as long as necessary at that time.

"The builders said the gods did all the work and this is exactly true in a sense."

Agreed. But I believe they said that because it was simply there the entire time and with zero chance of evaluating it as we can today, they opted for the tried and true of the trogladitic - "The Gods did it".

" The actual work of cutting, shaping, and lifting the stone was done by natural processes. "

Disagree. Again, with the presumption of an older more advanced civilization, I believe its totally possible they had highly advanced machinery, some based on sound wave technology, (that part of Chris Dunns theory I do agree with - but not the resonators in the grand gallery part).

Its a totally huge leap to say this is possible, because I know there has been no public evidence of any high technology from previous civilizations. As bad as the "Alien ship fuel" answer to justify this ancient advanced civilization theory, is the leap I'm making to justify it. I simply and possibly ignorantly suggest that any evidence of it has either been crushed by ice ages, melted by volcanic activity from a pole shit, or is buried under ground, under miles of ice, under the ocean, or in some government warehouse, overseen by "TOP MEN"... pick your favorite.

But as a linchpin in my approach, my idea is fairly vulnerable to probably several arguments to the contrary. I'll eventually have to research this aspect, and I'm wide open to any info that is substantially conclusive to the contrary, but for now, again, I'm setting it aside.

I don't know about the orisis theory. I will definately look at the pyramid scan. Thanks.