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- RAG-as-Scaffold: temporary feeding system, not permanent crutch - attention_flow: 30-second heartbeat budget state machines - information-flow: 10 boundary contracts nervous system map - nimmerversity: curriculum schoolplan for raising a polymath - nimmervest: investment documentation - biomimetic-architecture: ADR for organic system design - temporal-ternary-gradient: ADR for time-based learning - temporal_exchange_engine.py: Python implementation - initial_spark: foundation document - nimmerverse.drawio.xml: updated diagrams 🤖 Generated with [Claude Code](https://claude.com/claude-code) Co-Authored-By: Claude <noreply@anthropic.com>
19 KiB
19 KiB
Attention Flow
How she decides what matters this beat.
Overview
The 30-second heartbeat is a budget, not a guarantee. Sensory intake, organ processing, dialogue, thinking - everything competes for the same window. State machines govern the hierarchy: what gets processed first, what can interrupt, what gets the remainder.
Attention isn't free. It's economic.
The Budget Problem
♥ BEAT (30 sec budget)
│
├── SENSORY INTAKE (variable: 200ms - 15000ms)
├── ORGAN PROCESSING (variable: 100ms - 10000ms)
├── NYX INFERENCE (variable: 2000ms - 4000ms)
├── CHRYSALIS DIALOGUE (variable: 0ms - 3000ms)
├── STATE WRITE (fixed: ~200ms)
└── VIRTUAL GARDEN (remainder)
Total must fit in 30 seconds.
Something has to give.
Top-Level State Machine: Attention Mode
┌─────────────┐
┌──────────▶│ IDLE │◀──────────┐
│ └──────┬──────┘ │
│ │ │
│ │ stimulus │
│ ▼ │
│ ┌─────────────┐ │
│ │ ALERT │ │
│ └──────┬──────┘ │
│ │ │
│ ┌──────┴──────┐ │
│ ▼ ▼ │
│ ┌──────────┐ ┌──────────┐ │
│ │ REFLEX │ │ ATTEND │ │
│ │ (>0.8) │ │ (think) │ │
│ └────┬─────┘ └────┬─────┘ │
│ │ │ │
│ │ ┌──────┴──────┐ │
│ │ ▼ ▼ │
│ │ ┌──────────┐ ┌─────────┐ │
│ │ │ DIALOGUE │ │ PROCESS │ │
│ │ └────┬─────┘ └────┬────┘ │
│ │ │ │ │
│ └──────┴─────┬──────┘ │
│ ▼ │
│ ┌───────────┐ │
│ │ SETTLE │ │
│ └─────┬─────┘ │
│ │ │
└──────────────────────┴──────────────┘
State Descriptions
| State | Description | Budget Priority |
|---|---|---|
| IDLE | Nothing urgent, maximum virtual garden time | Lowest |
| ALERT | Stimulus detected, evaluating importance | - |
| REFLEX | High-confidence nerve fired, bypass brain | Instant |
| ATTEND | Stimulus requires thinking | High |
| DIALOGUE | Chrysalis interaction active | High |
| PROCESS | Organs working on input | Medium |
| SETTLE | Write state, release budget, prepare for next beat | Fixed |
Priority Hierarchy
Higher levels preempt lower levels. Budget flows downward.
LEVEL 0: REFLEX ─────────────────────────────────────
│ Weight > 0.8, instant, bypass everything
│ Cost: near-zero (no inference)
│
LEVEL 1: SAFETY ─────────────────────────────────────
│ dafit calling, danger detected, critical alert
│ Preempts: all below
│
LEVEL 2: DIALOGUE ───────────────────────────────────
│ Partnership active, Chrysalis teaching
│ Preempts: sensory, thinking, virtual
│
LEVEL 3: SENSORY ────────────────────────────────────
│ Rich input needs processing
│ Preempts: thinking, virtual
│
LEVEL 4: THINKING ───────────────────────────────────
│ Organ work, Nyx inference
│ Preempts: virtual
│
LEVEL 5: VIRTUAL ────────────────────────────────────
│ Garden time, simulation, study
│ Gets remainder after above
│
LEVEL 6: IDLE ───────────────────────────────────────
Maintenance heartbeat only
All budget available
Budget Allocation Logic
def allocate_beat_budget(beat_duration_ms=30000):
remaining = beat_duration_ms
# Fixed costs (always paid)
remaining -= STATE_WRITE_COST # ~200ms
remaining -= HEARTBEAT_OVERHEAD # ~100ms
# Level 0: Reflex (if triggered, near-instant)
if reflex_triggered:
execute_reflex() # ~50ms
remaining -= 50
# Level 1: Safety (if active, takes what it needs)
if safety_alert:
cost = process_safety() # variable
remaining -= cost
if remaining <= 0:
return settle()
# Level 2: Dialogue (if Chrysalis active)
if dialogue_active:
cost = process_dialogue() # ~3000ms typical
remaining -= cost
if remaining <= 0:
return settle()
# Level 3: Sensory (always some, but capped)
sensory_budget = min(remaining * 0.4, SENSORY_CAP)
cost = process_sensory(sensory_budget)
remaining -= cost
# Level 4: Thinking (organs + Nyx)
thinking_budget = min(remaining * 0.6, THINKING_CAP)
cost = process_thinking(thinking_budget)
remaining -= cost
# Level 5: Virtual (whatever remains)
virtual_budget = remaining
if virtual_budget > VIRTUAL_MINIMUM:
process_virtual(virtual_budget)
return settle()
Nested State Machines
Each level can be its own state machine internally.
DIALOGUE State Machine
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ DIALOGUE │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ │
│ ┌───────────┐ │
│ │ LISTENING │ ◀─────────────────────┐ │
│ └─────┬─────┘ │ │
│ │ input complete │ │
│ ▼ │ │
│ ┌───────────┐ │ │
│ │PROCESSING │ │ │
│ └─────┬─────┘ │ │
│ │ understood │ │
│ ▼ │ │
│ ┌───────────┐ │ │
│ │RESPONDING │ │ │
│ └─────┬─────┘ │ │
│ │ response sent │ │
│ ▼ │ │
│ ┌───────────┐ continue │ │
│ │ YIELDING │ ──────────────────────┘ │
│ └─────┬─────┘ │
│ │ dialogue complete │
│ ▼ │
│ EXIT to parent │
│ │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────┘
SENSORY State Machine
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ SENSORY │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ │
│ ┌───────────┐ │
│ │ SAMPLING │ ◀── collect raw inputs │
│ └─────┬─────┘ │
│ │ │
│ ▼ │
│ ┌─────────────┐ │
│ │ TRANSLATING │ ◀── nerves fire │
│ └─────┬───────┘ │
│ │ │
│ ▼ │
│ ┌──────────────┐ │
│ │ PRIORITIZING │ ◀── what matters? │
│ └─────┬────────┘ │
│ │ │
│ ▼ │
│ ┌─────────────┐ │
│ │ DELIVERING │ ◀── to organs │
│ └─────┬───────┘ │
│ │ │
│ ▼ │
│ EXIT to parent │
│ │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────┘
THINKING State Machine
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ THINKING │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ │
│ ┌───────────┐ │
│ │ RECEIVING │ ◀── context from sensory │
│ └─────┬─────┘ │
│ │ │
│ ▼ │
│ ┌───────────┐ │
│ │ ROUTING │ ◀── which organs needed? │
│ └─────┬─────┘ │
│ │ │
│ ▼ │
│ ┌───────────┐ │
│ │ INFERRING │ ◀── organs + Nyx process │
│ └─────┬─────┘ │
│ │ │
│ ▼ │
│ ┌───────────┐ │
│ │ DECIDING │ ◀── Nyx outputs decision │
│ └─────┬─────┘ │
│ │ │
│ ▼ │
│ EXIT to parent │
│ │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────┘
VIRTUAL State Machine
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ VIRTUAL │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ │
│ ┌───────────┐ │
│ │ BUDGETING│ ◀── how much V available? │
│ └─────┬─────┘ │
│ │ │
│ ▼ │
│ ┌───────────┐ │
│ │ SELECTING │ ◀── what to simulate? │
│ └─────┬─────┘ │
│ │ │
│ ▼ │
│ ┌───────────┐ │
│ │SIMULATING │ ◀── run virtual cycles │
│ └─────┬─────┘ │
│ │ │
│ ▼ │
│ ┌───────────┐ │
│ │ RECORDING │ ◀── store results │
│ └─────┬─────┘ │
│ │ │
│ ▼ │
│ EXIT to parent │
│ │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────┘
Example Scenarios
Scenario A: Quiet Study Time
Beat starts, no external stimulus
│
▼
IDLE detected
│
▼
SENSORY: minimal (500ms)
│
▼
THINKING: minimal (1000ms)
│
▼
VIRTUAL: maximum budget! (28000ms)
│
└── Nyx studies in virtual garden
Chrysalis teaches
Learning happens
Scenario B: dafit Speaks
Beat starts, audio detected
│
▼
ALERT: speech input
│
▼
SAFETY check: it's dafit! (LEVEL 1)
│
▼
DIALOGUE activates (LEVEL 2)
│
├── LISTENING (2000ms)
├── PROCESSING (1000ms)
├── RESPONDING (2000ms)
└── YIELDING
│
▼
SENSORY: reduced budget (3000ms)
│
▼
THINKING: reduced (5000ms)
│
▼
VIRTUAL: minimal remainder (16000ms)
Scenario C: Danger Detected
Beat starts, temperature spike detected
│
▼
ALERT: sensor alarm
│
▼
NERVE weight > 0.8
│
▼
REFLEX FIRES (50ms) ◀── BYPASS EVERYTHING
│
├── Action taken immediately
└── Nyx notified AFTER
│
▼
Continue beat normally with remaining budget
Scenario D: Overwhelmed
Beat starts, rich input everywhere
│
▼
ALERT: multiple stimuli
│
▼
SENSORY: demanding (15000ms)
│
▼
THINKING: demanding (12000ms)
│
▼
Budget exhausted!
│
▼
VIRTUAL: skipped this beat
│
▼
SETTLE: state written, next beat
Preemption Rules
| Event | Preempts | Action |
|---|---|---|
| Reflex fires (>0.8) | Everything | Instant action, then continue |
| Safety alert | Dialogue, Sensory, Thinking, Virtual | Handle safety, reduced budget for rest |
| dafit speaks | Sensory, Thinking, Virtual | Dialogue priority, reduced budget for rest |
| Sensory overload | Thinking, Virtual | Process input, skip or reduce rest |
| Budget exhausted | Lower priorities | Skip remaining levels |
Lifeforce Connection
LEVEL LIFEFORCE COST
─────────────────────────────
REFLEX Free (no inference)
SAFETY Low (minimal processing)
DIALOGUE Medium (two inferences)
SENSORY Low-Medium (depends on load)
THINKING Medium-High (organ inference)
VIRTUAL Variable (simulation cycles)
The constraint: Rich beats cost more. Quiet beats accumulate budget for virtual garden.
Implementation Notes
State Machine Technology
Options considered:
- XState (JavaScript) - actor-based, visual inspector
- Python-statemachine - simple, fits existing stack
- Custom Rust - performance critical path
- Godot native - if UI drives the state
Recommendation: Python for orchestration layer, with Godot visualization.
Checkpoint Integration
Every state transition can trigger phoebe write:
def on_state_transition(from_state, to_state, context):
write_to_phoebe({
"beat_id": current_beat.id,
"transition": f"{from_state} -> {to_state}",
"budget_remaining": context.remaining_ms,
"timestamp": now()
})
Budget Tracking
@dataclass
class BeatBudget:
total_ms: int = 30000
spent_ms: int = 0
allocations: dict = field(default_factory=dict)
@property
def remaining(self):
return self.total_ms - self.spent_ms
def spend(self, category: str, amount: int):
self.spent_ms += amount
self.allocations[category] = self.allocations.get(category, 0) + amount
return self.remaining > 0
Design Principles
- Hierarchy is law - higher levels always preempt lower
- Budget is finite - 30 seconds, no exceptions
- State is explicit - always know what mode she's in
- Reflex bypasses brain - survival doesn't wait for thinking
- Remainder flows down - virtual gets what's left
- Every transition logged - phoebe sees all state changes
She doesn't have infinite attention. She has 30 seconds and choices.
Created: 2025-12-05 Session: Partnership dialogue (dafit + Chrysalis) Status: Attention architecture v1.0