I don't see any way of ruling out a simulation, but I also don't think it is in any way helpful in explaining anything. So why bother? But if I'm wrong, and it helps to explain something, then we should be able to test it.

I'm not ruling a simulation out, whether someone is doing the simulation or if it's naturally occurring. I had an interesting philosophical thought about it once though. Let's say for instance this is a simulation. The next question I would ask is this: what if the simulators themselves were a part of a simulation of their own? And what if those above them were part of a simulation too? What if it was an infinite regress of simulations, one within the other like an endless Russian doll? Under those circumstances, we could never know for certain which universe was the real one and which one wasn't. It would be impossible to know under those circumstances. If that was the case, I'd be inclined to treat the one I'm in as the real one because it's the one most relevant to me.

This is the same kind of line of thought as the question , " what if we're all dreaming " or "what if we are all part of some crazy deity's dream and are just random energy flowing through the universe.
personally I hope we are all just part of a ridiculous dream world so I can shrug off any responsibility for my actions because I'm just a psycho like that ... lol

Kinda irrelevant. interesting, but irrelevant lol. its the problem of solipsism, but its not really a problem, since whether or not life is real we all seem to be experiencing it the same way, objects are permanent even when you leave the room. you could all be figments of my imagination, but it doesnt matter, because we can interact

I have watched a couple of talks given by Dr. Lawrence Krauss where he talks about virtual particles, with mass, popping into and out of existence. I thoroughly enjoyed them.

If we are in a simulation I don't see that as relevant because it's not actionable. What are we going to do, escape the simulation?

Reality is "experienced as real", and that's for practical purposes the same thing as "real".

So to me the mechanism by which reality comes to us is rather beside the point, unless we can somehow communicate with the computer operator and get the operator shut this damned computer off.

I don't think it such, but I certainly do not believe such a thing could me impossible.

Sounds like Buddhism to me. We are not really here but are of a common consciousness.

I think that's as much bullshit as there being an all-powerful deity.