THE 3 forms of heat loss from an object or surface at earth's surface are...

[Derek]

" Somewhere back in the Layman's thread I mention observing rocks in the desert cracking off their surfaces and spreading little shards of curved rock around. "

Geographically speaking I think you are referring to exfoliation, or onion skin weathering as it is sometimes called.
In all the explanations I have seen ice formation between the layers in the rock is a big part of the process, frost heave as such. Yes, some of the weathering is due to thermal tensions within the rock caused by cooling, but the majority of the weathering is usually describing as being due to ice formation and the pressure that creates within the rock.

" I feel lapse rate and time need to be considered in calculating heat transfer. "

Yes, a point I have tried to make before, but I have never seen done for gray body calculations.
It would soon prove radiation is over exaggerated in importance at present, that is why it is not done in my opinion.
It would be interesting to calculate the cooling of a body of water, because I am sure such a sum could not work at present.

" At no point in time is anything, anywhere on this planet in a state of temperature equilibrium. "

I think in my oily tray experiment I proved a body of water, open to the atmosphere, can never be in thermal equilibrium with the atmosphere, the water will always get or remain colder than the atmosphere.
This is due in my opinion to the gravity and relative humidity powered convection of latent heat removed from the water, that always HAS to occur.