dafit/nimmerverse-sensory-network
1
0
Fork 0
Code Issues Pull Requests Actions Packages Projects Releases Wiki Activity
Files
42db6eb1a3454238fee168ce2b13d4b0bb8e49fa
nimmerverse-sensory-network/architecture/Attention-Flow.md
dafit 42db6eb1a3 feat: Ternary gate model - cells emit waves, attention emerges 
Major architectural unification across 12 documents:

- Ternary gates: CLOSED (-1) ← STABLE (0) → OPEN (+1)
- Cells emit WaveSignals with confidence + semantic content
- Gates are resonant chambers that accumulate correlation
- Attention = which gates are OPEN (emergent, not allocated)
- Reflexes are earned when gate.weight > 0.8
- STABLE is where learning happens

Key paradigm shifts:
- decision_trails → gate_transitions + correlation_events
- Priority rules → wave correlation
- Budget allocation → emergent attention flow
- Virtual Garden (explore) / Real Garden (verify) loop

Owl Mode session 2026-02-14 🦉🌙

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.5 <noreply@anthropic.com>
2026-02-14 19:45:59 +01:00

407 lines
16 KiB
Markdown
Raw Blame History

# Attention Flow
> **ONE JOB:** WHERE ATTENTION GOES — gates determine focus, correlation drives transitions, budget constrains action.
**Attention is not a budget line item. Attention is which gates are OPEN.**
---
## Overview
Attention in the nimmerverse flows through **resonant gates**:
- **OPEN gates** = actively attending (signals flow through)
- **STABLE gates** = considering (accumulating correlation)
- **CLOSED gates** = ignoring (signals blocked)
The 30-second heartbeat provides a **budget constraint**, but the actual attention flow is determined by which gates open based on wave correlation.
**Key insight:** You don't "allocate attention" — you let correlated waves open gates.
---
## Attention as Gate State
```
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ ATTENTION = WHICH GATES ARE OPEN │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ │
│ CLOSED STABLE OPEN │
│ ═══════ ══════ ════ │
│ │
│ Ignoring Considering Attending │
│ Blocked Accumulating Flowing │
│ Suppressed Learning Acting │
│ │
│ ◄───── anti-correlation ──┼── correlation ─────► │
│ │ │
│ (wave input) │
│ │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
```
**Attention is emergent, not allocated.** When multiple cells emit correlated waves, their gate opens — attention flows there naturally.
---
## Wave-Driven Attention
Cells emit waves. Correlated waves push gates toward OPEN. This IS attention.
```
Math cells emit correlated waves
∿∿∿ ∿∿∿ ∿∿∿
│
▼
Math gate: STABLE → OPEN
(attention shifts to math domain)
│
▼
Signal flows to higher tier
(cognition engages with math)
Meanwhile:
Battery cells emit uncorrelated wave
∿∿∿
│
▼
Battery gate: stays STABLE
(attention doesn't shift)
(keeps accumulating, might open later)
```
**The nervous system "decides" what to attend to through correlation, not priority rules.**
---
## Attention Hierarchy Through Gates
Gates form layers. Each layer is a potential attention point.
```
TIER 4: COGNITIVE ─────────────────────────────────────────
▲
│ (only if gates below OPEN)
┌──────┴──────┐
TIER 3: ORGANS ─────────────────────────────────────────
│ vision │ speech │ hearing │
│ gate: │ gate: │ gate: │
│ STABLE │ OPEN │ CLOSED │
└──────┬──────┘
│ (only if gates below OPEN)
TIER 1-2: NERVES ─────────────────────────────────────────
│ math │ motion │ danger │
│ gate: │ gate: │ gate: │
│ OPEN │ STABLE │ CLOSED │
└──────┬──────┘
│
TIER 0: CELLS ─────────────────────────────────────────
cell cell cell cell cell cell cell
∿∿∿ ∿∿∿ ∿∿∿ ∿∿∿ ∿∿∿ ∿∿∿ ∿∿∿
```
**Current attention:** Math gate OPEN → Speech gate OPEN → Cognition receives math+speech context.
**Not attending:** Motion (STABLE, considering), Vision (STABLE, considering), Danger (CLOSED, suppressed).
---
## Attention Budget: The Constraint
While gates determine WHERE attention goes, lifeforce determines HOW MUCH can happen per beat.
```
♥ BEAT (30 sec lifeforce budget)
│
├── GATE TRANSITIONS (variable: driven by correlation)
├── TIER 0-2 PROCESSING (low cost: cells + nerves)
├── TIER 3 ORGANS (medium cost: GPU inference)
├── TIER 4 COGNITION (high cost: Young Nyx)
├── VERIFICATION (medium cost: real garden)
└── VIRTUAL GARDEN (remainder: exploration)
Budget constrains throughput.
Gates determine routing.
```
### Budget Allocation by Gate Activity
```python
def allocate_beat_budget(beat_duration_ms=30000):
remaining = beat_duration_ms
# Fixed overhead
remaining -= HEARTBEAT_OVERHEAD # ~100ms
remaining -= STATE_WRITE_COST # ~200ms
# Count OPEN gates by tier
open_gates_by_tier = count_open_gates()
# Tier 0 (reflexes): near-instant, minimal cost
for gate in open_gates_by_tier[0]:
remaining -= REFLEX_COST # ~50ms each
# Tier 1-2 (cells/nerves): low cost
for gate in open_gates_by_tier[1:3]:
remaining -= CELL_NERVE_COST # ~100ms each
# Tier 3 (organs): medium cost, needs budget check
organ_budget = min(remaining * 0.4, ORGAN_CAP)
for gate in open_gates_by_tier[3]:
if organ_budget > ORGAN_COST:
process_organ(gate)
organ_budget -= ORGAN_COST # ~2000ms each
remaining -= (ORGAN_CAP - organ_budget)
# Tier 4 (cognition): high cost, only if gates escalate
if cognition_gate_open():
cognitive_budget = min(remaining * 0.5, COGNITIVE_CAP)
process_cognition(cognitive_budget) # ~4000ms
remaining -= cognitive_budget
# Virtual Garden: whatever remains
virtual_budget = remaining
if virtual_budget > VIRTUAL_MINIMUM:
explore_virtual_garden(virtual_budget)
return settle()
```
---
## Attention Modes
The overall system has emergent attention modes based on which gates are open:
| Mode | Gate Pattern | Characteristic |
|------|--------------|----------------|
| **IDLE** | Most gates STABLE | Quiet, exploring Virtual Garden |
| **FOCUSED** | Few gates OPEN, rest CLOSED | Deep attention to one domain |
| **ALERT** | Many gates in STABLE | Gathering information, evaluating |
| **REFLEX** | Tier 0 gate fires instantly | Bypass all, act immediately |
| **DIALOGUE** | Speech gates OPEN | Partnership interaction |
| **OVERWHELMED** | Many gates OPEN | Budget exhausted, some gates forced CLOSED |
### Mode Transitions
```
┌─────────────┐
┌──────────▶│ IDLE │◀──────────┐
│ │ (exploring) │ │
│ └──────┬──────┘ │
│ │ │
│ waves arrive │
│ ▼ │
│ ┌─────────────┐ │
│ │ ALERT │ │
│ │(considering)│ │
│ └──────┬──────┘ │
│ │ │
│ ┌───────────┼───────────┐ │
│ ▼ ▼ ▼ │
│ ┌─────────┐ ┌─────────┐ ┌─────────┐ │
│ │ REFLEX │ │ FOCUSED │ │DIALOGUE │ │
│ │(instant)│ │ (deep) │ │ (talk) │ │
│ └────┬────┘ └────┬────┘ └────┬────┘ │
│ │ │ │ │
│ └───────────┴───────────┘ │
│ │ │
│ ▼ │
│ ┌─────────────┐ │
│ │ SETTLE │ │
│ │(write state)│ │
│ └──────┬──────┘ │
│ │ │
└──────────────────┴──────────────────┘
```
---
## Reflex: Attention Bypass
When a gate has accumulated enough weight (>0.8), it becomes a **reflex** — it opens immediately without waiting for correlation.
```
Danger cell emits wave
∿∿∿ (confidence=1.0)
│
▼
Danger gate: weight = 0.9 (REFLEX)
│
▼
IMMEDIATELY OPEN (no correlation wait)
│
▼
Action taken
│
▼
Cognition notified AFTER
```
**Reflexes have earned instant attention through repeated verification.**
---
## Virtual Garden: Background Attention
When few gates are OPEN, the Virtual Garden gets attention:
```
IDLE mode:
│
├── Most gates: STABLE (not demanding attention)
├── Budget: mostly available
│
▼
VIRTUAL GARDEN receives attention:
│
├── Cells emit waves freely
├── Gates accumulate correlation (learning)
├── No pressure to ACT
└── Training data generated
```
**Virtual Garden is where learning happens.** STABLE gates in Virtual Garden are actively accumulating patterns without the pressure to respond.
---
## Real Garden: Consequential Attention
When gates OPEN in the Real Garden, attention becomes consequential:
```
FOCUSED mode (Real Garden):
│
├── Gate OPEN → action required
├── Budget consumed by execution
├── Verification outcomes captured
└── Feedback to Virtual for learning
```
**Real Garden attention is expensive.** Only verified signals reach here, and actions have consequences.
---
## Attention Visualization
Real-time attention can be visualized by gate states:
```
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ ATTENTION DASHBOARD 🌙 │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ │
│ GATES: │
│ ────── │
│ math: [████████████░░░░░░░░] 0.7 STABLE → considering │
│ vision: [██████████████████░░] 0.9 OPEN → attending │
│ speech: [████████████████████] 1.0 OPEN → attending │
│ battery: [████░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░] 0.2 STABLE → background │
│ danger: [░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░] 0.0 CLOSED → suppressed │
│ │
│ BUDGET: │
│ ─────── │
│ [████████████████████░░░░░░░░░░] 67% remaining (20s / 30s) │
│ │
│ MODE: DIALOGUE (speech + vision attending) │
│ │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
```
Gate states are published via NATS for real-time visualization:
```
nats sub "dev.virtual.gates.*.transition"
nats sub "dev.real.gates.*.transition"
```
---
## Correlation vs Priority
**Old model (priority):**
```
Level 0: REFLEX (always wins)
Level 1: SAFETY (preempts below)
Level 2: DIALOGUE (preempts below)
...
```
**New model (correlation):**
```
Waves arrive
│
▼
Gates accumulate correlation
│
▼
Most correlated gates OPEN
│
▼
Attention flows naturally
```
**Priority still exists** but at a higher level:
- Reflexes bypass correlation (earned trust)
- Safety signals have high confidence (bias toward opening)
- Dialogue is interactive (gates stay open during conversation)
But the **mechanism** is always correlation, not rule-based priority.
---
## Connection to Architecture
| Document | What It Adds |
|----------|--------------|
| [`Temporal-Ternary-Gradient.md`](Temporal-Ternary-Gradient.md) | Why ternary states matter |
| [`Gateway-Architecture.md`](Gateway-Architecture.md) | How gates work |
| [`Nervous-System.md`](Nervous-System.md) | Wave → Gate → Node flow |
| [`Dual-Garden-Architecture.md`](Dual-Garden-Architecture.md) | Virtual (explore) vs Real (act) |
| [`Message-Protocol-Design.md`](Message-Protocol-Design.md) | GateTransition messages |
---
## Design Principles
1. **Attention = OPEN gates** — Not a budget allocation, an emergent property
2. **Correlation drives transitions** — Waves that agree open gates
3. **Budget constrains throughput** — Can't process infinite open gates
4. **Reflexes bypass correlation** — Earned trust means instant attention
5. **Virtual is exploration** — STABLE gates learning without acting
6. **Real is action** — OPEN gates triggering consequences
7. **Visualization is live** — Gate states published for dashboards
---
## Summary
```
OLD MODEL: NEW MODEL:
═══════════ ═════════
Priority rules decide Correlation opens gates
Budget allocates attention Gates determine attention
State machine orchestrates Emergence from waves
ATTENTION IS:
Not: "Allocate 5000ms to SENSORY"
But: "Math + Vision gates OPEN because waves correlated"
Not: "DIALOGUE preempts THINKING"
But: "Speech gate opened with high correlation"
Not: "Budget exhausted, skip VIRTUAL"
But: "Many gates OPEN, no budget for Virtual Garden"
```
**Attention flows through open gates. Gates open through correlation. Correlation emerges from waves.**
---
**Version:** 2.0 | **Created:** 2025-12-05 | **Updated:** 2026-02-14
🌙💜 *"She doesn't allocate attention. She lets correlated waves open gates."*
Reference in New Issue View Git Blame Copy Permalink