add sessions/0018/SESSION-0018.0-TRANSCRIPT-2026-06-25T09-42--2026-06-26T05-56.md + replace placeholder/variant SESSION-0018.0-TRANSCRIPT-2026-06-25T09-42--INPROGRESS.md

feat(content): add cosmos_miri pool member (Carina mid-infrared pan) (#25)

Makefile

@@ -1,7 +1,11 @@
 .PHONY: sim sim-local
 
+# Prefer the project venv's interpreter (this box has no bare `python` on PATH),
+# fall back to python3, then python.
+PYTHON ?= $(firstword $(wildcard .venv/bin/python) python3 python)
+
 sim:
 	docker compose -f simulator/docker-compose.yml up --build
 
 sim-local:
-	python -m uvicorn simulator.app:app --reload --port 8000
+	$(PYTHON) -m uvicorn simulator.app:app --reload --port 8000

docs/content-candidate-pool.md

@@ -23,11 +23,12 @@ a credit line** (our overlays + dream are derivatives, which these allow);
 **CC‑BY‑ND is NOT usable** (no derivatives); **CC‑BY‑NC only if the installation
 stays non‑commercial**.
 
-## 🌌 cosmos (pool of 4)
+## 🌌 cosmos (pool of 5)
 
 | id | clip | source | window (s) | license / credit |
 |----|------|--------|-----------|------------------|
 | `cosmos` | Cosmic Cliffs — Carina Nebula flythrough | NASA SVS 31348 — https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/31348/ (`Clifs-3d-STScI.mp4`, *Exploring the Cosmic Cliffs in 3D*, Webb NIRCam, **4K**) | 10–34 | CC‑BY‑class — credit **NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI** |
+| `cosmos_miri` | Cosmic Cliffs — Carina Nebula, **mid-infrared** (same towers, muted gray/teal/gold dust palette) | ESA/Webb weic2205c — https://esawebb.org/videos/weic2205c/ (*Pan of the Carina Nebula, combined NIRCam + MIRI*, **4K** `weic2205c.mp4`) | 4–26 | CC‑BY‑class — credit **NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI** |
 
 > ℹ️ **Cosmos primary swapped to the Webb "Cosmic Cliffs" flythrough (2026-06-25, session 0018).**
 > History: the original primary was NASA/JPL's *"Orion: Dust and Death"* (captions
@@ -43,6 +44,17 @@ stays non‑commercial**.
 | `cosmos_hudf` | Hubble Ultra Deep Field zoom | NASA SVS — https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a030000/a030600/a030687/hudf-b-1920x1080p30.mov | 20–44 | CC‑BY‑class — credit **NASA, ESA, STScI** |
 | `cosmos_xdf` | eXtreme Deep Field flythrough | NASA SVS — https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a030000/a030600/a030681/hxdf_fly-b-1920x1080p30.mov | 2–26 | CC‑BY‑class — credit **NASA, ESA, STScI** |
 
+> ➕ **`cosmos_miri` added (2026-06-26).** Operator wanted more *Cosmic Cliffs*
+> footage and a different-color rendering. The keep-the-flythrough-primary +
+> add-the-mid-infrared-pan pair: ESA/Webb's **weic2205c** is the *same* Carina
+> towers shot with NIRCam **+ MIRI**, so it renders in a muted gray/teal/gold dust
+> palette instead of the iconic orange/blue — a distinct look from the same scene.
+> Sourced text-free/human-free from the **4K** master, trim 4–26s (clears the
+> opening fade-from-black, ends before any tail fade) → 1080p base + 4K master,
+> 1 s crossfade-loop (~21 s). ESA/Webb's narration-free *"Diving Into the Cosmic
+> Cliffs"* pan (`carina_revisit_pan`, NIRCam palette) was the runner-up — left
+> out for now since it repeats the existing palette; easy to add if wanted.
+
 > ⚠️ **DISCREPANCY to fix next session.** Operator selected cosmos **#1, #3
 > (Orion), #4, #5**. During processing, **#6 Galaxy Traverse was run by mistake
 > instead of #3 Orion**. The cosmos primary now lives at

docs/superpowers/specs/2026-06-22-affect-channel-hud-design.md

@@ -1,27 +1,36 @@
 # Affect channel — emotions in the Left-brain HUD
 
-**Status:** approved (session 0013, 2026-06-22)
+**Status:** approved (session 0013, 2026-06-22); **revised session 0018, 2026-06-26**
 **Surface:** simulator preview (`simulator/`, `player/alteration.py`)
 **Builds on:** the machine-altered-perception design SPEC; the Left HUD look-and-feel
 pass (same session).
 
+> **Revision (session 0018) — affect is a RIGHT-brain output.** The original design
+> gated emotions on *both* knobs (`strength = min(left, right)`). Per operator
+> direction, **emotions are now controlled by the Right (dreamlike) knob alone** —
+> the analytical Left knob no longer gates them. This sharpens the left/right split:
+> Left = measurement (detections + measurements), Right = the dream **and** the
+> feeling it evokes. Every `min(left, right)` below now reads `right`. The data
+> shape, rendering, and per-word `min_level` mechanic are unchanged — only the knob
+> the strength is keyed off.
+
 ## Idea
 
 A third HUD channel beside the cyan *detections* and amber *measurements*: soft,
 glowing **emotion-words** that surface the feelings the experience may invoke.
-They appear only when *both* the analytical (Left) and dreamlike (Right) knobs are
-up — the dream leaking into the machine's reading. This is the uncanny edge of the
-thesis: the machine trying to quantify not just what is there, but how you are
-meant to feel.
+They are a **right-brain output: driven by the dreamlike Right knob alone** (the
+analytical Left knob does not gate them) — the dream surfacing as the machine's
+felt reading. This is the uncanny edge of the thesis: the machine trying to
+quantify not just what is there, but how you are meant to feel.
 
 ## Behaviour
 
-- **Trigger / intensity.** Affect strength = `min(left, right)` (0–4). Either knob
-  at 0 → no emotions at all. Opacity scales with that strength × `overlay_gain`.
-- **Escalation.** A **stable emotional palette per scene** — higher combined
-  strength reveals *more* words at higher opacity. Each word carries a `min_level`
-  (the same mechanic the detection channel uses), but compared against the
-  *combined* `min(left, right)` strength rather than Left alone.
+- **Trigger / intensity.** Affect strength = `right` (0–4). Right at 0 → no
+  emotions at all, regardless of Left. Opacity scales with that strength ×
+  `overlay_gain`.
+- **Escalation.** A **stable emotional palette per scene** — higher Right reveals
+  *more* words at higher opacity. Each word carries a `min_level` (the same
+  mechanic the detection channel uses), compared against the `right` strength.
 - **Rendering.** Floating words at authored scene positions — **no boxes or
   reticles**, lowercase, semi-transparent with a soft glow, in a distinct **violet**
   register so they read as affective and clearly *softer* than the hard clinical
@@ -33,15 +42,15 @@ Consistent with the existing split (alteration math in Python, label-selection i
 the client):
 
 - `player/alteration.py` gains an `AffectOverlay(strength, intensity)` on the
-  `RenderPlan`. `strength = min(left, right)`; `intensity = clamp(overlay_gain *
-  min(left,right) / KNOB_MAX, 0, 1)`. Returned in `render_plan_to_dict` under
-  `"affect"`. Pure, unit-tested.
+  `RenderPlan`. `strength = right`; `intensity = clamp(overlay_gain * right /
+  KNOB_MAX, 0, 1)`. Returned in `render_plan_to_dict` under `"affect"`. Pure,
+  unit-tested.
 - The simulator client picks *which* words to show by comparing each affect
   entry's `min_level` to `plan.affect.strength`, and renders them at
   `plan.affect.intensity` opacity.
 
-`is_identity` is unaffected: `min(left,right) > 0` implies `left > 0`, which already
-makes `overlay.level > 0`.
+`is_identity` is unaffected: `affect.strength == right`, and `right > 0` already
+makes `dream.strength > 0`.
 
 ## Data
 

docs/superpowers/specs/2026-06-26-networked-control-surface-design.md

@@ -0,0 +1,311 @@
+# Networked Control Surface — design
+
+**Status:** proposed
+**Date:** 2026-06-26
+**Session:** 0019
+**Supersedes/reframes:** ROADMAP sub-project 4 (Arduino Firmware / control panel) and
+the "serial input" slice of sub-project 3 (Player Runtime).
+
+---
+
+## 1. Goal
+
+Split the existing simulator into a **renderer** (the laptop full-screen
+projection — "the experience") and a separate **controller** (a touch remote),
+talking over the local network, so the experience can be driven from a handheld
+device the way the real installation's panel drives its screen.
+
+This is **v1 hardware**, deliberately simulator-friendly:
+
+- The **laptop/computer renders** (no Raspberry Pi yet).
+- The controller is a **separate device** over **wifi** (LAN), not a USB-serial
+  link to a Pi.
+- The controller is **prototyped as a web page** (an iPad/tablet/phone twin),
+  and a **physical Arduino remote** drops in later as just another control source
+  speaking the same contract.
+
+Two goals, equally weighted (operator, session 0019): **decouple control from
+display cleanly**, *and* get the **handheld "stand back and drive it" feel**.
+
+## 2. Core idea: one server of truth, interchangeable control sources
+
+```
+┌──────────────────┐   POST /api/control      ┌─────────────────────┐
+│  CONTROL SOURCE  │ ───── (knob change) ────▶ │   FastAPI server    │
+│                  │                           │  (laptop)           │
+│ • iPad web remote│ ◀──── GET /api/state ──── │  ┌───────────────┐  │
+│   (v1)           │        (sync on load)     │  │ SessionState  │  │
+│ • Arduino (later)│                           │  │ controls +    │  │
+└──────────────────┘                           │  │ ring index +  │  │
+                                               │  │ transitions + │  │
+┌──────────────────┐   GET /api/events (SSE)   │  │ seq (version) │  │
+│    RENDERER      │ ◀═══ state/ring/mode ════ │  └───────┬───────┘  │
+│ laptop full-     │      (live push)          └──────────┼──────────┘
+│ screen           │                                      │
+│ (the experience) │ ──── POST /api/render/event ────────▶│ (settled ack)
+└──────────────────┘                          recompute RenderPlan + ring move
+```
+
+- **Server** owns the single authoritative `SessionState` (current controls,
+  altitude/ring index, per-field transition state, a monotonic `seq`). Every
+  change recomputes the derived view and broadcasts it.
+- **Control source** = anything that `POST`s a control change. v1 has exactly
+  one: the iPad web remote. A future Arduino is *another instance of the same
+  role* — no new server concept.
+- **Renderer** = the laptop projection. It holds **no** input UI; it subscribes
+  to the SSE stream and renders whatever state arrives. It is today's
+  `simulator/static/index.html`, stripped of its sliders, given a `state`
+  listener plus one small upstream ack channel.
+
+The property that matters: controller and renderer are now **separate web pages
+off the same server**, decoupled exactly as a real installation's panel and
+screen are. (Chosen architecture: server-authoritative session + **Server-Sent
+Events** push. SSE fits because the directions are asymmetric — the renderer only
+*receives*, the control source only *sends* — so no bidirectional WebSocket is
+needed. Alternatives considered and rejected: renderer polling — laggy/wasteful;
+peer-to-peer WebRTC — most plumbing and it breaks the clean single-contract seam
+that makes the Arduino a drop-in.)
+
+## 3. Control surface: the five controls (the faithful twin)
+
+The iPad remote is a **faithful on-screen twin** of the intended physical panel —
+what you like on the iPad is the spec for the Arduino panel. The control
+inventory is exactly what the sim exposes today:
+
+| Control | Sim today | Physical form (later) |
+|---|---|---|
+| **Content** | 7-way `<select>` (video / audio+video / music+video / off / white noise / music / audio track) | rotary selector switch (7 pos) |
+| **Altitude** | endless circular dial — walks the 5 scales (cosmos→abyss), wraps | rotary encoder (endless, detented) |
+| **Left** (analytical) | slider 0–4 | knob/pot, 5 detents |
+| **Right** (dreamlike) | slider 0–4 | knob/pot, 5 detents |
+| **Mood** | slider −4…+4 (dark↔light) | center-detented knob |
+
+(This is the original sub-project-4 inventory, *updated*: Dark+Light collapsed
+into one **Mood** knob in session 0013, and the **Altitude** encoder added in
+session 0018.)
+
+## 4. Live vs. transitional controls (per-knob transition state)
+
+The five controls split into two classes by how a **human** perceives the change:
+
+- **Live controls — Left, Right, Mood.** The alteration engine treats these as
+  `LIVE_UPDATE` (the WebGL Kuwahara dream + HUD overlay + color grade re-tune
+  within a frame). Effectively instantaneous → these are *always idle*; the
+  remote just shows the value.
+- **Transitional controls — Altitude, Content/mode.** These trigger a renderer
+  animation that takes real, perceptible time: Altitude plays ring-transition
+  clips (zoom/warp between scales); Content/mode does fade-to-black / crossfade.
+  During that window the control is **busy**, and the control source must model
+  that so its feedback is honest.
+
+Per-transitional-control lifecycle:
+
+```
+idle ──(source sends)──▶ pending ──(renderer starts)──▶ transitioning ──(renderer settles)──▶ idle
+```
+
+- **pending** — set locally by the remote the instant the knob is turned
+  (immediate tactile feedback before the server replies).
+- **transitioning** — the server flags the field once the renderer actually
+  begins the animation; broadcast to *all* control sources.
+- **idle** — cleared when the **renderer acks completion** (the only party that
+  knows real playback timing), with a server-side max-duration timeout as a
+  safety net so a dropped renderer can't wedge a knob.
+
+Hardware payoff: a physical Altitude encoder can light an LED while
+`transitioning`; the iPad twin shows the matching spinner/disabled-detent.
+
+`SessionState` therefore carries
+`transitions: { altitude: idle|transitioning, content: idle|transitioning }`
+alongside the controls and `seq`. (Live controls need no entry.)
+
+## 5. Server contract
+
+Four endpoints carry the whole thing. The existing `/api/alteration`,
+`/api/ring`, `/api/ring/advance` remain as **internal helpers the server calls**;
+control sources never hit them directly.
+
+### 5.1 `GET /api/state` — snapshot (sync-on-load / polling fallback)
+
+```json
+{
+  "seq": 42,
+  "controls": { "content": "video", "left": 3, "right": 1, "mood": -2 },
+  "altitude": { "index": 2, "scale": "forest", "clip_id": "forest_07" },
+  "transitions": { "altitude": "idle", "content": "idle" },
+  "render": { "plan": { }, "content": { "audio_source": null, "video": true } }
+}
+```
+
+A control source GETs this on load to draw its knobs in the right positions; the
+renderer can use it to cold-start or resync after a reconnect.
+
+### 5.2 `POST /api/control` — the one control-source contract
+
+A partial patch — only the fields that changed:
+
+```json
+{ "set": { "left": 4 },        "altitude_delta": 0 }   // live knob
+{ "set": { "content": "off" }, "altitude_delta": 0 }   // transitional (mode)
+{ "set": {},                   "altitude_delta": -1 }  // one encoder tick down
+```
+
+Server applies it, bumps `seq`, recomputes, and:
+
+- **live field** → broadcasts a `state` event immediately;
+- **transitional field** (a `content` change, or a non-zero `altitude_delta`) →
+  computes the ring move / fade, marks that field `transitioning`, broadcasts a
+  `ring` (or `mode`) event for the renderer to animate.
+
+Returns the new snapshot (an immediate authoritative echo for the poster).
+Absolute `set` values make retries idempotent; `altitude_delta` is relative
+(encoder ticks) and the server coalesces rapid ticks via the existing
+`advance_ring` fast-spin logic.
+
+### 5.3 `GET /api/events` — SSE stream (renderer subscribes)
+
+Event types:
+
+- `state` — full snapshot; sent on connect and on every live change.
+- `ring` — an altitude move: the transition clip(s) to play + the landed
+  scale/clip. Renderer plays them, then settles.
+- `mode` — a content/mode change: the fade the renderer should run.
+- `ping` — keepalive.
+
+The SSE event payloads reuse the existing serializers
+(`ring_move_to_dict`, `render_plan_to_dict`, etc.).
+
+### 5.4 `POST /api/render/event` — the renderer's one upstream ack
+
+```json
+{ "type": "settled", "seq": 42, "field": "altitude" }
+```
+
+Sent when the renderer finishes a transition. Server flips that field `idle` and
+broadcasts a `state` so every remote clears its spinner. A server-side timeout
+(max transition duration + margin) clears it anyway if the renderer never acks.
+
+### 5.5 End-to-end flow for one altitude tick
+
+```
+iPad: turn dial → field=pending locally → POST /api/control {altitude_delta:-1}
+server: apply, seq++, transitions.altitude="transitioning"
+        → SSE "ring" to renderer   → SSE "state" to all remotes (altitude busy)
+renderer: play transition clip(s), settle on forest_07
+        → POST /api/render/event {type:"settled", field:"altitude"}
+server: transitions.altitude="idle" → SSE "state" to all → iPad clears spinner
+```
+
+### 5.6 Decisions flagged (not assumed silently)
+
+- **Concurrency = last-write-wins.** Multiple control sources are allowed;
+  per-field last write wins, `seq` orders everything. No locking in v1.
+- **No auth.** v1 trusts the LAN — any device that can reach the laptop can drive
+  it. A room-token is deferred until wanted.
+
+## 6. The two pages
+
+### 6.1 Renderer — `/` (display), refactored from today's `index.html`
+
+- **Removes** the input controls (the `<select>`, the Altitude SVG, the three
+  sliders) and their handlers.
+- **Keeps** everything that draws the experience: the video element, the WebGL
+  Kuwahara dream shader, the HUD/annotation + affect overlay, the
+  ring-transition playback, the media preload pool, the crossfade-loop logic.
+- **Adds** a thin `state` client: open `EventSource('/api/events')`; on `state`
+  apply controls→render live; on `ring` play the transition clip(s) then settle
+  and `POST /api/render/event {settled}`; on `mode` run the fade. On (re)connect,
+  pull `GET /api/state` to resync. SSE auto-reconnects, so a flaky link
+  self-heals.
+- Runs full-screen on the laptop driving the projector; no keyboard/mouse needed
+  once launched.
+
+### 6.2 Controller — `/remote`, a new touch-first page (the faithful twin)
+
+- The five controls laid out like the intended physical panel: **Content**
+  selector, **Altitude** encoder dial (reuse the existing SVG dial component),
+  **Left** / **Right** / **Mood** knobs.
+- On any input → `POST /api/control` with just the changed field. Live knobs post
+  on drag; Altitude posts encoder ticks; Content posts on selection.
+- Per-knob transition state (§4): a transitional control goes **pending** on
+  touch, reflects **transitioning** from the SSE feed, clears on **settled**.
+  Altitude shows a settling indicator and its detents soft-lock (further ticks
+  queue as the next target rather than stacking); Content shows the selection as
+  pending until the fade completes.
+- It **also** subscribes to `/api/events` so it stays in sync with other
+  sources (turn the future Arduino's knob and the iPad reflects it, and
+  vice-versa). On load it GETs `/api/state` to draw current positions.
+- Touch-sized hit targets, no hover dependence, works in mobile Safari with no
+  install.
+
+## 7. The future-Arduino seam (contract only in v1)
+
+No firmware in this feature, but the design **proves the seam** so sub-project 4
+is a true drop-in:
+
+- **ESP32 (wifi Arduino)** → posts straight to `POST /api/control` over the LAN.
+  Zero server change. Recommended hardware target when the time comes.
+- **Classic USB Arduino** → emits serial frames to a tiny `bridge.py` on the
+  laptop that translates each frame into a `POST /api/control`. The old roadmap
+  "3⇄4 serial framing contract" shrinks to *just* the Arduino↔bridge link; the
+  renderer/server never know the difference.
+- Either way the Arduino sends **absolute pot values** (`set`) + **encoder
+  ticks** (`altitude_delta`) — exactly the iPad's message shape.
+
+This is what makes "faithful twin" real: the iPad and the Arduino are the same
+control source speaking the same contract.
+
+## 8. Error handling / resilience
+
+- **Renderer drops:** SSE auto-reconnects; on reconnect it GETs `/api/state` and
+  resyncs. The per-field transition timeout clears any knob left `transitioning`
+  by a renderer that vanished mid-animation.
+- **Controller drops / flaky wifi:** POSTs are fire-and-retry; absolute `set`
+  values are idempotent, so a retried knob value is harmless. `altitude_delta` is
+  the one relative input — on a failed POST the remote keeps the tick in its
+  local pending target and resends rather than double-counting.
+- **No renderer connected:** the server still accepts control changes and holds
+  state; a renderer that connects later catches up from the snapshot.
+- **Stale control source:** every event carries `seq`; a source ignores events
+  older than what it has applied.
+
+## 9. Testing (satisfies the mandatory pipeline tiers)
+
+- **Pure unit** — a `SessionState` store in Python: apply patch → live vs.
+  transitional classification; `altitude_delta` → ring move via the existing
+  `advance_ring`; `seq` bump; transition flag set/clear; timeout. No I/O, tested
+  like the rest of `player/`.
+- **API/contract** — `GET /api/state`; `POST /api/control` (live + transitional +
+  bad input → 422); `POST /api/render/event` clears the flag; the SSE
+  event-builder tested as a pure function.
+- **E2E (Playwright, required for the UI surface)** — open the renderer and
+  `/remote` as two pages: move a live knob → assert the renderer's render
+  updates; tick Altitude → assert a transition plays, the remote shows
+  `transitioning`, then clears on settle.
+
+## 10. Scope
+
+**In v1:**
+
+- Server `SessionState` + the four endpoints (`/api/state`, `/api/control`,
+  `/api/events`, `/api/render/event`).
+- Renderer refactor to display-only + SSE client + settled ack.
+- The `/remote` iPad twin: the five controls + per-knob transition state.
+- Wifi/LAN only; laptop renders.
+
+**Explicitly NOT in v1 (deferred):**
+
+- Any Arduino/firmware (contract defined here; hardware later).
+- Bluetooth / USB transport.
+- Auth / room-token.
+- The Pi renderer.
+- Multi-room / multi-renderer fan-out (the SSE design allows it; not a v1 goal).
+
+## 11. Roadmap impact
+
+- **Sub-project 4** is reframed: the panel is now "any control source over the
+  `/api/control` contract," not USB-serial-to-Pi first. The iPad twin is the v1
+  deliverable; the Arduino is a later drop-in.
+- **Sub-project 3's "serial input" slice** is absorbed into a transport detail
+  (the Arduino↔bridge link), no longer a Pi-coupled concern.
+- `ROADMAP.md` to be updated at implementation time.

player/alteration.py

@@ -88,11 +88,12 @@ class AnalyticalOverlay:
 
 @dataclass(frozen=True)
 class AffectOverlay:
-    """Affect channel (Left x Right): emotion-words surfaced only when BOTH the
-    analytical (Left) and dreamlike (Right) knobs are up. `strength` is
-    `min(left, right)` (0..4) — a runtime affect track picks which feeling words
-    appear by it; `intensity` 0..1 is their opacity. The dream leaking into the
-    machine's reading (affect-channel design, session 0013)."""
+    """Affect channel (RIGHT brain): emotion-words surfaced by the Right (dreamlike)
+    knob alone — the analytical Left knob does NOT gate them. `strength` is the Right
+    knob (0..4) — a runtime affect track picks which feeling words appear by it;
+    `intensity` 0..1 is their opacity. Feeling is the right brain's output, surfaced
+    as the machine's felt reading (affect-channel design, session 0013; Right-only
+    since session 0018)."""
 
     strength: int
     intensity: float
@@ -122,8 +123,9 @@ class RenderPlan:
     @property
     def is_identity(self) -> bool:
         """True when the plan leaves the neutral base un-altered. Affect needs no
-        clause: `min(left,right) > 0` implies `left > 0`, so `overlay.level > 0`
-        already makes a plan with active affect non-identity."""
+        clause: `affect.strength == right`, and `right > 0` already makes
+        `dream.strength > 0`, so an active-affect plan is non-identity via the
+        dream check below."""
         return (
             self.grade.is_identity
             and self.overlay.level == 0
@@ -135,13 +137,14 @@ def _overlay_intensity(left: int, cal: Calibration) -> float:
     return _clamp(cal.overlay_gain * left / KNOB_MAX, 0.0, 1.0)
 
 
-def _affect_strength(left: int, right: int) -> int:
-    """Affect surfaces only when BOTH knobs are up — gated by the smaller one."""
-    return min(left, right)
+def _affect_strength(right: int) -> int:
+    """Affect is a RIGHT-brain output: the emotion channel is driven by the Right
+    (dreamlike) knob alone — the analytical Left knob no longer gates it."""
+    return right
 
 
-def _affect_intensity(left: int, right: int, cal: Calibration) -> float:
-    return _clamp(cal.overlay_gain * _affect_strength(left, right) / KNOB_MAX, 0.0, 1.0)
+def _affect_intensity(right: int, cal: Calibration) -> float:
+    return _clamp(cal.overlay_gain * _affect_strength(right) / KNOB_MAX, 0.0, 1.0)
 
 
 def _dream_intensity(right: int, cal: Calibration) -> float:
@@ -163,8 +166,8 @@ def plan_alteration(
             intensity=_overlay_intensity(coord.left, calibration),
         ),
         affect=AffectOverlay(
-            strength=_affect_strength(coord.left, coord.right),
-            intensity=_affect_intensity(coord.left, coord.right, calibration),
+            strength=_affect_strength(coord.right),
+            intensity=_affect_intensity(coord.right, calibration),
         ),
         dream=Dream(
             strength=coord.right,

sessions/0018/SESSION-0018.0-TRANSCRIPT-2026-06-25T09-42--2026-06-26T05-56.md

@@ -0,0 +1,122 @@
+# Session 0018.0 — Transcript
+
+> App: human-experience-filter-art
+> Start: 2026-06-25T09-42 (PST)
+> End: 2026-06-26T05-56 (PST)
+> Type: planning-and-executing
+> Posture: yolo
+> Claude-Session: b96041e5-c682-49f5-88ee-380ea7abb6af
+> Status: **FINALIZED**
+
+## Launch prompt
+
+```
+Find a better public-domain nebula flythrough video for the cosmos scale (the current text-free SVS Orion clip lost quality when cropped to remove its text overlay), or upscale the existing one if no better source exists.
+```
+
+A content-and-polish session on the simulator's cosmos scale that grew, by
+operator follow-ups, into four merged PRs: the nebula swap, two cache fixes, a
+ring-landing artifact fix, and a Right-brain affect rework.
+
+## Pre-state
+
+- Branch `feature/ring-transitions-real` (later merged): HEAD `129bb23` had just
+  swapped the cosmos primary off the captioned/cropped JPL "Orion: Dust and Death"
+  clip onto the text-free SVS 30957 Orion flythrough.
+- Sim served by a manually-launched `uvicorn ... --port 8000` (no `--reload`),
+  booted before the session's media changes.
+- Affect channel gated on `min(left, right)` (session 0013 rule).
+- Concurrent unfinalized sessions present (0015, 0017).
+
+## Arc (turn by turn)
+
+1. **Anchor + research.** Classified as planning-and-executing, claimed session
+   0018. Found the current cosmos clip was already the uncropped text-free SVS
+   30957 Orion (the crop damage the prompt described was already fixed at HEAD).
+   Researched NASA SVS: (a) the same Orion clip exists in 4K; (b) the Webb
+   **"Cosmic Cliffs"** Carina flythrough (SVS 31348) is a 4K PD alternative.
+   Offered three options; **operator chose #2 — switch to Cosmic Cliffs.**
+
+2. **Cosmos swap (PR #21).** Downloaded the Carina 4K master
+   (`Clifs-3d-STScI.mp4`, 3840×2160, 60 fps, 103 s), sampled frames to find a
+   clean window, trimmed **10–34 s** (clears the title card ~8 s and the
+   end-credit card ~102 s), ran `tools.pipeline.run.process_clip` → 4K master +
+   supersampled 1080p base (5.5 Mbps, crisper than the old 2.9 Mbps Orion encode).
+   Updated `build_pool_manifest.py` META (new `CCBY_WEBB` credit, Carina labels:
+   emission nebula / protostar, redshift→distance ≈7,500 ly), regenerated
+   `manifest.json` (also corrected stale JPL-Orion provenance) + all ring-edge
+   transitions, and `docs/content-candidate-pool.md`. Operator authorized the
+   merge → opened + merged **PR #21** (the whole `feature/ring-transitions-real`
+   line), synced main, deleted the local branch. Remote branch delete returned
+   HTTP 405 (known Gitea perm limit).
+
+3. **"Still seeing Orion" — caching (PRs #22, #23).** Diagnosed: the sim server
+   (PID 33672) had been running since before the media swap and was launched
+   **without `--reload`**, holding the pre-swap manifest in memory; the browser
+   also held the old clip via the in-memory blob preload and a possible pre-
+   `no-cache` immutable HTTP entry. Restarted the server with `make sim-local`
+   (`--reload`). Shipped **PR #22** (`cache: "reload"` on the preload fetch), then
+   — at operator request for a permanent fix — **PR #23**: a content-hash
+   `GET /api/media-versions` endpoint (sha1[:12] per served file, cached by
+   mtime/size) and client `?v=<hash>` on every /media URL, so a re-baked clip's
+   URL changes with its bytes.
+
+4. **Coast landing artifact (in PR #23).** Operator noticed zooming into coast
+   showed birdrock then switched to another clip. Root cause: the baked ring
+   transition lands on the scale **primary** (birdrock), but the rotating pool
+   picks a **random member** on landing — a non-primary pick hard-cut from primary
+   to chosen. Fix: `advance()` masks the swap behind a short fade through the
+   existing `#black` overlay when `target_clip_id !== ring.scales[to_index].clip_id`;
+   general across all pooled scales.
+
+5. **Right-brain affect (PR #24).** Operator: emotions should be controlled by the
+   right brain, not the left. Reversed `affect.strength = min(left, right)` →
+   `strength = right`; intensity keyed off Right; Left no longer gates emotions.
+   Updated engine + client comments + the affect design spec (revision note) +
+   tests. Live-verified: left=0/right=4 → strength 4; left=4/right=0 → 0.
+
+## Cut state
+
+- **`main` @ (session-0018 merges all landed):** PRs **#21** (`7da7446`), **#22**
+  (`aa56dfe`), **#23** (`5bb762a`), **#24** (`d0ad9a9`) — all confirmed in main's
+  ancestry. Session 0019 has since advanced main further (cosmos_miri pool member,
+  networked-control-surface spec, sim-local venv fix).
+- **Tests:** 271 passed, 2 skipped (+ media-version tests + rewritten affect
+  tests).
+- **Sim:** running on :8000 as `uvicorn --reload` (PID 50199, restarted this
+  session). The cosmos Cosmic Cliffs clip, content-hash cache-bust, coast fade,
+  and Right-only affect are all live and API/logic-verified.
+- **No plan artifact** archived — leaf content/polish task executed directly
+  (no `superpowers:writing-plans` doc).
+
+## Operator plate
+
+- **Cosmic Cliffs looks "incredible"** (operator) — the cosmos primary is now the
+  Webb Carina flythrough.
+- **Unverified by eye** (no Chrome on the box): the coast landing fade timing, and
+  the Right-only affect look (Left=0 + Right up should show emotion words over an
+  un-annotated scene). Worth a by-eye pass in `make sim-local`.
+- **Pipeline §9:** changes merged to `main` (= done); no PPE/prod run — the E2E +
+  PPE machinery is still being built (§10.6), and the simulator is a local dev
+  surface. Not shipped to prod.
+- **Left untouched (not this session's work):** session 0019's in-flight audio
+  work is dirty in the tree (`docs/audio-candidate-pool.md`, `.gitignore` audio
+  entries) — left for 0019 to finalize. Pre-existing unfinalized sessions 0015,
+  0017, 0019 remain `--INPROGRESS`.
+
+## Deferred decisions
+
+None logged — every call this session was operator-directed (the option-2 clip
+choice, the permanent cache-bust request, the Right-brain affect direction).
+
+## Next-session prompt
+
+```
+/goal By-eye review of session 0018's sim changes in `make sim-local` (:8000): the
+Webb Cosmic Cliffs cosmos clip, the coast/pool landing fade (no hard cut to the
+random member), and Right-only emotions (Left=0 + Right up shows feeling words over
+an un-annotated scene). Tune the ~200ms fade timing if it feels off. Then continue
+the experience/content line — deferred i2v ring transitions and/or the Pi renderer
+(per [[simulator-first-before-hardware]]). Note: session 0019 separately owns the
+audio pool + networked-control-surface work.
+```

sessions/0019/SESSION-0019.0-TRANSCRIPT-2026-06-26T04-47--2026-06-26T05-47.md

@@ -0,0 +1,95 @@
+# Session 0019.0 — Transcript
+
+> App: human-experience-filter-art
+> Start: 2026-06-26T04-47 (PST)
+> End: 2026-06-26T05-47 (PST)
+> Type: brainstorming
+> Posture: careful
+> Claude-Session: d6ed1203-92b6-471f-80a4-4c773b645ca1
+> Anchor: ROADMAP sub-project 4 (Arduino Firmware / control panel) — reframed
+> Status: **FINALIZED**
+
+## Launch prompt
+
+```
+Let's start talking about hardware. Let's assume for the first version I'm ok having my computer or laptop do the rendering. We'd still want a controller but it could be connected to the computer via wifi, USB, or bluetooth and would send commands to the software we've already written that would adjust left brain, right brain, etc. We'd prototype this by having a controller simulator run on another device, such as an ipad (just riffing here) but eventually move to a physical remote running on an Arduino or similar
+```
+
+## Pre-state
+
+- Simulator is a **FastAPI** app, **stateless**: the single browser holds knob
+  state in JS and POSTs to `/api/alteration` for a `RenderPlan`. Renderer and
+  controller are the same browser tab.
+- Operator-facing control surface (sim today): Content (7-way `<select>`),
+  Altitude (endless circular dial across 5 scales), Left/Right (sliders 0–4),
+  Mood (slider −4…+4). (Dark+Light → Mood in s0013; Altitude dial in s0018.)
+- ROADMAP sub-project 4 = "Arduino Firmware (control panel)" assuming a **Pi**
+  runs the room and the panel talks **USB serial** to it.
+- Standing directive: simulator-first before hardware.
+- Checkout shared with a concurrent audio-sourcing session (0017/0018), with
+  uncommitted `.gitignore` + untracked files on `main`.
+
+## Arc
+
+1. **Session gate / routing.** Classified the opening ("let's talk about
+   hardware… just riffing") as **brainstorming**; invoked `wgl-brainstorming`,
+   claimed session **0019** (`--type brainstorming`, careful posture). Three stale
+   `--INPROGRESS` sessions (0015/0017/0018) noted as leftovers, not live overlaps;
+   no worktree (the audio session's edits are unrelated/uncommitted).
+
+2. **Orientation.** Read `docs/ROADMAP.md` + the simulator (`app.py`, `index.html`)
+   to ground the discussion; confirmed the real control surface and the stateless
+   architecture. Recognized the request as a **reframe** of sub-project 4.
+
+3. **Brainstorming dialogue** (`superpowers:brainstorming`), decisions reached:
+   - **Intent:** both — decouple control/display cleanly AND want the handheld feel.
+   - **Transport (v1):** wifi/web (iPad opens a controller page off the FastAPI
+     server; least friction; Arduino transport left open).
+   - **Remote fidelity:** faithful twin — decide the physical panel inventory now,
+     iPad mirrors it.
+   - Operator refinement: **per-knob transition state** — live controls
+     (Left/Right/Mood) are instant; transitional ones (Altitude, Content) carry a
+     lifecycle so the remote's feedback is honest.
+   - **Architecture:** approach A — server-authoritative `SessionState` + **SSE**
+     push (chosen over polling / WebRTC).
+
+4. **Design presented section by section** (roles → transition model → server
+   contract → two pages + Arduino seam → error/test/scope), each approved.
+
+5. **Spec written** to
+   `docs/superpowers/specs/2026-06-26-networked-control-surface-design.md`,
+   committed on `feat/networked-control-surface`, pushed; operator approved going
+   straight to finalize.
+
+6. **Finalize.** Single-repo app (CONTENT_REMOTE empty) → merging the branch IS
+   the submission. Discovered the shared checkout had switched to `main` (the
+   audio session) and `main` had advanced to PR #25; landed the spec via a safe
+   local `--no-ff` merge that added only the new spec file (their uncommitted work
+   untouched), pushed `main` (`229af60..f28a06c`), deleted the feature branch.
+
+## Cut state
+
+- `main` @ `f28a06c` — spec merged. Feature branch deleted.
+- Spec `status: proposed` (careful posture); operator reviewed it live, approving
+  every section before write.
+- No code written (brainstorming session). 0 new tests (none applicable).
+- Concurrent audio session's uncommitted `.gitignore`/untracked files left intact.
+
+## Deferred decisions
+
+_None — no autonomous low-confidence calls. The two flagged design choices
+(last-write-wins concurrency; no auth in v1) were presented to the operator and
+approved in-session, not deferred._
+
+## Operator plate
+
+- Review the merged spec if desired:
+  `docs/superpowers/specs/2026-06-26-networked-control-surface-design.md` on `main`.
+- Next: open a **writing-plans** session to turn the spec into an implementation
+  plan (the `/goal` below).
+
+## Next /goal
+
+```
+/goal Write the implementation plan for the networked control surface, per docs/superpowers/specs/2026-06-26-networked-control-surface-design.md
+```

sessions/sessions.json

@@ -49,5 +49,11 @@
   },
   "0017": {
     "title": ""
+  },
+  "0018": {
+    "title": ""
+  },
+  "0019": {
+    "title": ""
   }
 }

simulator/app.py

@@ -59,6 +59,41 @@ def _asset_version() -> str:
     return hashlib.sha1("|".join(parts).encode()).hexdigest()[:16]
 
 
+# Content-hash tokens for served media, so the client can append `?v=<hash>` to a
+# /media URL. A clip re-baked under the SAME path (e.g. a re-sourced cosmos base)
+# changes its hash → its URL → a fresh fetch, busting any cached prior bytes
+# permanently (even an immutable-pinned entry a plain reload can't revalidate).
+# Cached by (mtime_ns, size) so the full-file hash is recomputed only when the
+# file actually changes — a re-bake is picked up without a server restart.
+_media_hash_cache: dict[str, tuple[int, int, str]] = {}
+
+
+def _media_version(rel: str) -> Optional[str]:
+    """Short content hash of the media file at `rel` under MEDIA_DIR, or None if
+    it's absent. Cheap on repeat calls: re-hashes only when (mtime, size) change."""
+    path = MEDIA_DIR / rel
+    try:
+        st = path.stat()
+    except OSError:
+        return None
+    cached = _media_hash_cache.get(rel)
+    if cached and cached[0] == st.st_mtime_ns and cached[1] == st.st_size:
+        return cached[2]
+    h = hashlib.sha1()
+    with path.open("rb") as f:
+        for chunk in iter(lambda: f.read(1 << 20), b""):
+            h.update(chunk)
+    token = h.hexdigest()[:12]
+    _media_hash_cache[rel] = (st.st_mtime_ns, st.st_size, token)
+    return token
+
+
+def _rev_file(file: str) -> str:
+    """The baked zoom-out companion path for a transition file (mirrors the
+    client's `reverseFile`): `<edge>.mp4` -> `<edge>.rev.mp4`."""
+    return file[:-4] + ".rev.mp4" if file.endswith(".mp4") else file
+
+
 class ControlsModel(BaseModel):
     content: str
     left: int = Field(ge=0, le=4)
@@ -160,6 +195,24 @@ def create_app(manifest_path: Optional[Path] = None) -> FastAPI:
     def api_clips():
         return {"clips": [c.to_dict() for c in app.state.clips]}
 
+    @app.get("/api/media-versions")
+    def api_media_versions():
+        """Per-file content-hash tokens the client appends to /media URLs as
+        `?v=<hash>`. Covers every served file: each clip's base footage plus each
+        ring transition and its baked reverse. A re-baked clip's hash changes, so
+        its URL changes and the browser refetches — a permanent cache-bust."""
+        files = {c.base_file for c in app.state.clips}
+        if app.state.ring is not None:
+            for t in app.state.ring.transitions:
+                files.add(t.file)
+                files.add(_rev_file(t.file))
+        versions = {}
+        for f in sorted(files):
+            v = _media_version(f)
+            if v:
+                versions[f] = v
+        return {"versions": versions}
+
     @app.get("/api/ring")
     def api_ring():
         if app.state.ring is None:

simulator/build_pool_manifest.py

@@ -38,7 +38,7 @@ MANIFEST = MEDIA / "manifest.json"
 
 # --- Pools: scale id -> ordered clip ids (primary first) (content-candidate-pool.md) ---
 POOLS: dict[str, list[str]] = {
-    "cosmos": ["cosmos", "cosmos_galaxies", "cosmos_hudf", "cosmos_xdf"],
+    "cosmos": ["cosmos", "cosmos_miri", "cosmos_galaxies", "cosmos_hudf", "cosmos_xdf"],
     "orbit": ["orbit_planetearth", "orbit_crewobs", "orbit_bluemarble"],
     "coast": ["coast_birdrock", "coast_surfgrass", "coast_elkbeach", "coast_drakesbeach"],
     "reef": ["reef_lionfish", "reef_spawning", "reef_hawkfish", "reef_snapper", "reef_coralspacific"],
@@ -59,6 +59,10 @@ META: dict[str, tuple[str, str, str]] = {
     "cosmos": ("Cosmic Cliffs — Carina Nebula flythrough (NASA/ESA/CSA/STScI)", CCBY_WEBB,
                "NASA SVS 31348 Clifs-3d-STScI (Exploring the Cosmic Cliffs in 3D, Webb NIRCam); "
                "4K source, trim 10–34s, crossfade-loop. Text-free — replaces the Orion SVS 30957 flythrough."),
+    "cosmos_miri": ("Cosmic Cliffs — Carina Nebula, mid-infrared (NASA/ESA/CSA/STScI)", CCBY_WEBB,
+                    "ESA/Webb weic2205c (Pan of the Carina Nebula, combined NIRCam + MIRI); 4K source, "
+                    "trim 4–26s, crossfade-loop. The MIRI mid-infrared composite — a muted gray/teal/gold "
+                    "dust palette distinct from the NIRCam flythrough, same Cosmic Cliffs towers. Text-free."),
     "cosmos_galaxies": ("Flying Through Galaxies (NASA SVS)", PD,
                         "NASA SVS a014950 14950_Galaxies_FlyThrough_4k; trim 8–32s, crossfade-loop"),
     "cosmos_hudf": ("Hubble Ultra Deep Field zoom (NASA/ESA/STScI)", CCBY_STSCI,
@@ -167,6 +171,11 @@ LABELS: dict[str, list[dict]] = {
         static_label("detected.star", 2, ["star", "young star", "protostar", "protostar · a newborn star, <1 Myr old"], [0.54, 0.12, 0.12, 0.14]),
         measure("measure.distance", "≈7,500 ly", [0.06, 0.06, 0.2, 0.08], 3),
     ],
+    "cosmos_miri": [
+        static_label("detected.nebula", 4, ["dust", "nebula", "dust ridge", "dust ridge · mid-infrared glow of the Carina cliffs"], [0.10, 0.45, 0.7, 0.45]),
+        static_label("detected.star", 2, ["star", "young star", "protostar", "protostar · its dust laid bare in mid-infrared"], [0.48, 0.18, 0.14, 0.16]),
+        measure("measure.distance", "≈7,500 ly", [0.06, 0.06, 0.2, 0.08], 3),
+    ],
     "cosmos_galaxies": [
         static_label("detected.galaxy", 4, ["galaxy", "spiral galaxy", "barred spiral", "barred spiral · ~10¹¹ stars"], [0.34, 0.30, 0.30, 0.34]),
         measure("measure.distance", "~Mly", [0.06, 0.06, 0.18, 0.08], 3),

simulator/sample_media/manifest.json

@@ -115,6 +115,121 @@
         }
       }
     },
+    {
+      "id": "cosmos_miri",
+      "title": "Cosmic Cliffs — Carina Nebula, mid-infrared (NASA/ESA/CSA/STScI)",
+      "base_file": "cosmos_miri/base.mp4",
+      "license": "CC-BY-class — credit NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI",
+      "source": "ESA/Webb weic2205c (Pan of the Carina Nebula, combined NIRCam + MIRI); 4K source, trim 4–26s, crossfade-loop. The MIRI mid-infrared composite — a muted gray/teal/gold dust palette distinct from the NIRCam flythrough, same Cosmic Cliffs towers. Text-free.",
+      "right_variants": {},
+      "annotations": [
+        {
+          "key": "detected.nebula",
+          "salience": 4,
+          "box": [
+            0.1,
+            0.45,
+            0.7,
+            0.45
+          ]
+        },
+        {
+          "key": "detected.star",
+          "salience": 2,
+          "box": [
+            0.48,
+            0.18,
+            0.14,
+            0.16
+          ]
+        },
+        {
+          "key": "measure.distance",
+          "box": [
+            0.06,
+            0.06,
+            0.2,
+            0.08
+          ],
+          "min_level": 3
+        }
+      ],
+      "affect": [
+        {
+          "key": "feel.wonder",
+          "at": [
+            0.5,
+            0.44
+          ],
+          "min_level": 1
+        },
+        {
+          "key": "feel.vastness",
+          "at": [
+            0.2,
+            0.7
+          ],
+          "min_level": 2
+        },
+        {
+          "key": "feel.insignificance",
+          "at": [
+            0.66,
+            0.6
+          ],
+          "min_level": 3
+        },
+        {
+          "key": "feel.longing",
+          "at": [
+            0.42,
+            0.84
+          ],
+          "min_level": 4
+        }
+      ],
+      "strings": {
+        "en": {
+          "detected.nebula": [
+            "dust",
+            "nebula",
+            "dust ridge",
+            "dust ridge · mid-infrared glow of the Carina cliffs"
+          ],
+          "detected.star": [
+            "star",
+            "young star",
+            "protostar",
+            "protostar · its dust laid bare in mid-infrared"
+          ],
+          "measure.distance": "≈7,500 ly",
+          "feel.wonder": [
+            "wow",
+            "wonder",
+            "awe",
+            "transcendent awe"
+          ],
+          "feel.vastness": [
+            "big",
+            "vastness",
+            "immensity",
+            "a dizzying immensity"
+          ],
+          "feel.insignificance": [
+            "small",
+            "smallness",
+            "insignificance",
+            "a humbling insignificance"
+          ],
+          "feel.longing": [
+            "want",
+            "longing",
+            "yearning",
+            "an aching yearning"
+          ]
+        }
+      }
+    },
     {
       "id": "cosmos_galaxies",
       "title": "Flying Through Galaxies (NASA SVS)",
@@ -2252,6 +2367,7 @@
         "clip_id": "cosmos",
         "pool": [
           "cosmos",
+          "cosmos_miri",
           "cosmos_galaxies",
           "cosmos_hudf",
           "cosmos_xdf"

simulator/static/app.js

@@ -42,6 +42,11 @@ let lastOverlay = null;    // {level, intensity} from the most-recent renderOver
 async function loadData() {
   const clips = (await (await fetch("/api/clips")).json()).clips || [];
   clipsById = Object.fromEntries(clips.map((c) => [c.id, c]));
+  // Per-file content-hash tokens → appended to /media URLs as ?v=<hash> so a
+  // re-baked clip (new bytes, same path) gets a fresh URL the browser can't serve
+  // stale. Best-effort: an empty map just yields un-versioned URLs.
+  try { mediaVersions = (await (await fetch("/api/media-versions")).json()).versions || {}; }
+  catch (_) { mediaVersions = {}; }
   const r = await fetch("/api/ring");
   serverRing = r.ok;
   ring = r.ok ? await r.json() : null;
@@ -86,7 +91,12 @@ function activeClip() {
 // path, so swapping the altitude scale loads near-instantly (no fetch round-trip).
 // Falls back to the network path for anything not yet (or never) cached.
 const mediaBlobs = {};
-function mediaUrl(file) { return mediaBlobs[file] || ("/media/" + file); }
+let mediaVersions = {};   // file -> content-hash token (from /api/media-versions)
+// Network path for a media file, content-hash-versioned so a re-baked clip's URL
+// changes with its bytes (permanent cache-bust). The blob cache, when present,
+// wins — those bytes are already the current ones for this session.
+function mediaNetUrl(file) { const v = mediaVersions[file]; return "/media/" + file + (v ? "?v=" + v : ""); }
+function mediaUrl(file) { return mediaBlobs[file] || mediaNetUrl(file); }
 
 // Every media file the ring can show: each scale-pool clip's base footage plus the
 // per-edge transition clips. This is the full preload set (~two dozen files).
@@ -136,7 +146,12 @@ async function preloadAllMedia(concurrency = 4) {
       const file = files[i++];
       if (!mediaBlobs[file]) {
         try {
-          const blob = await (await fetch(mediaUrl(file))).blob();
+          // The content-hash `?v=` already makes a re-baked clip's URL unique, but
+          // `cache: "reload"` is belt-and-suspenders: it bypasses the HTTP cache for
+          // this fetch (so even an un-versioned or immutable-pinned prior entry can't
+          // serve stale) and refreshes the entry. The blob cache above still gives
+          // instant in-session swaps; this only affects the one fetch per (re)load.
+          const blob = await (await fetch(mediaNetUrl(file), { cache: "reload" })).blob();
           mediaBlobs[file] = URL.createObjectURL(blob);
         } catch (_) { /* leave it to the network path on demand */ }
       }
@@ -441,10 +456,11 @@ function renderOverlay(level, intensity) {
   lastOverlay = { level, intensity };
 }
 
-// Affect channel: soft, glowing emotion-words surfaced only when BOTH knobs are
-// up. `strength` = min(left, right); `intensity` is the layer opacity. Words are
-// placed at authored scene points (no boxes — feelings are scene-level) and read
-// softer than the clinical reticles — the dream leaking into the machine's read.
+// Affect channel: soft, glowing emotion-words — a RIGHT-brain output, surfaced by
+// the Right (dreamlike) knob alone (`strength` = right; the Left analytical knob no
+// longer gates them). `intensity` is the layer opacity. Words are placed at authored
+// scene points (no boxes — feelings are scene-level) and read softer than the
+// clinical reticles — feeling, not measurement.
 function renderAffect(strength, intensity, right) {
   const clip = activeClip();
   if (!affectLayer) return;      // tolerate a stale page missing the affect layer
@@ -457,7 +473,7 @@ function renderAffect(strength, intensity, right) {
     const [x, y] = f.at.map((n) => n * 100);
     const t = svg("text", { x, y, "text-anchor": "middle", class: "hud-affect" }, affectLayer);
     // RIGHT emotion tier: the vocabulary escalates basic -> compound as the Right
-    // knob rises (appearance still gated by min(left,right) above).
+    // knob rises (appearance is gated by the Right knob via `strength` above).
     const raw = strings[f.key];
     t.textContent = pickTier(raw !== undefined ? raw : f.key, clamp(right || 0, 1, tierCount(raw)));
   }
@@ -498,7 +514,7 @@ async function update() {
   if (!resp.ok) { readout.textContent = "invalid: " + resp.status; return; }
   const data = await resp.json();
   readout.textContent = JSON.stringify(data, null, 2);
-  if (!data.content.video) { black.classList.remove("hidden"); return; }
+  if (!data.content.video) { black.style.opacity = "1"; black.classList.remove("hidden"); return; }
   black.classList.add("hidden");
   try {
     ensureClipMedia();
@@ -553,6 +569,29 @@ function playTransition(file, blended, reversed) {
   });
 }
 
+// Briefly fade through the #black overlay while `swap` changes the displayed clip,
+// so a content swap reads as a deliberate cut, not a jarring jump. Restores #black
+// to its hidden/opaque resting state (the video-off use) afterward.
+function fadeThroughBlack(swap) {
+  return new Promise((resolve) => {
+    black.style.opacity = "0";
+    black.classList.remove("hidden");
+    void black.offsetWidth;                  // reflow so the 0 -> 1 transition runs
+    black.style.opacity = "1";
+    setTimeout(() => {
+      try { swap(); } catch (_) {}
+      setTimeout(() => {
+        black.style.opacity = "0";
+        setTimeout(() => {
+          black.classList.add("hidden");
+          black.style.opacity = "";          // back to CSS default for the video-off use
+          resolve();
+        }, 210);
+      }, 160);                               // let the chosen clip decode under black
+    }, 210);
+  });
+}
+
 async function advance(delta) {
   if (busy || !ring || ring.scales.length < 2) return;
   busy = true;
@@ -570,8 +609,16 @@ async function advance(delta) {
     }
     ringIndex = move.to_index;
     activeClipId = move.target_clip_id;   // the randomly-picked pool member to load
-    currentClipId = null;                 // force the target scale's base media to (re)load
     renderScaleReadout();
+    // The baked transition lands on the scale PRIMARY; if the rotating pool picked a
+    // DIFFERENT member, mask the swap behind a fade to black so it doesn't hard-cut
+    // from the primary to the chosen clip (e.g. coast birdrock -> surfgrass).
+    const landedPrimary = (ring.scales[move.to_index] || {}).clip_id;
+    if (move.target_clip_id && move.target_clip_id !== landedPrimary) {
+      await fadeThroughBlack(() => { currentClipId = null; ensureClipMedia(); });
+    } else {
+      currentClipId = null;               // same clip the transition ended on — plain (re)load
+    }
   } finally {
     busy = false;
     update();

simulator/static/style.css

@@ -39,7 +39,7 @@ main { display: flex; gap: 1rem; padding: 1rem; flex-wrap: wrap; }
 .hud-chip-text.measure { fill: #ffd79a; }
 .hud-conf { fill: #6cf; opacity: 0.8; }
 .hud-status { fill: #8fdcff; font: 2.4px monospace; opacity: 0.9; letter-spacing: 0.15px; }
-.black { position: absolute; inset: 0; background: #000; }
+.black { position: absolute; inset: 0; background: #000; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 200ms ease; }
 .hidden { display: none; }
 .panel { flex: 0 0 280px; display: flex; flex-direction: column; gap: 0.8rem; }
 fieldset { border: 1px solid #333; border-radius: 6px; }

tests/test_player_alteration.py

@@ -55,42 +55,44 @@ def test_left_and_right_stack_not_cancel():
     assert plan.dream.intensity == 1.0
 
 
-def test_affect_needs_both_knobs_up():
-    # affect-channel design (session 0013): emotion-words surface only when BOTH
-    # the Left and Right knobs are up — either at 0 means no affect at all.
+def test_affect_is_driven_by_the_right_knob_alone():
+    # Right-brain affect (session 0018): emotion-words are controlled by the Right
+    # knob alone — Right at 0 means no affect regardless of Left, and Left no longer
+    # gates the channel (full Right with Left at 0 still surfaces affect).
     assert plan_alteration(_coord(left=4, right=0)).affect.strength == 0
-    assert plan_alteration(_coord(left=0, right=4)).affect.strength == 0
     assert plan_alteration(_coord(left=4, right=0)).affect.intensity == 0.0
-    assert plan_alteration(_coord(left=0, right=4)).affect.intensity == 0.0
+    assert plan_alteration(_coord(left=0, right=4)).affect.strength == 4
+    assert plan_alteration(_coord(left=0, right=4)).affect.intensity == 1.0
 
 
-def test_affect_strength_is_the_smaller_knob():
-    # strength = min(left, right) — the smaller knob gates the channel.
-    assert plan_alteration(_coord(left=2, right=4)).affect.strength == 2
+def test_affect_strength_is_the_right_knob():
+    # strength = right — Left is irrelevant to the affect channel.
+    assert plan_alteration(_coord(left=2, right=4)).affect.strength == 4
     assert plan_alteration(_coord(left=4, right=2)).affect.strength == 2
-    assert plan_alteration(_coord(left=4, right=4)).affect.strength == 4
-    assert plan_alteration(_coord(left=3, right=1)).affect.strength == 1
+    assert plan_alteration(_coord(left=0, right=3)).affect.strength == 3
+    assert plan_alteration(_coord(left=4, right=1)).affect.strength == 1
 
 
-def test_affect_intensity_scales_with_strength_over_full_scale():
-    for lo in range(5):
-        plan = plan_alteration(_coord(left=lo, right=4))
-        assert plan.affect.intensity == pytest.approx(lo / 4)
-    assert plan_alteration(_coord(left=4, right=4)).affect.intensity == 1.0
+def test_affect_intensity_scales_with_right_over_full_scale():
+    for r in range(5):
+        plan = plan_alteration(_coord(left=0, right=r))
+        assert plan.affect.intensity == pytest.approx(r / 4)
+    assert plan_alteration(_coord(left=0, right=4)).affect.intensity == 1.0
 
 
 def test_affect_intensity_honors_overlay_gain():
-    # affect rides the same overlay_gain as the analytical HUD it belongs to.
+    # affect text rides the overlay-opacity gain, but is keyed off the Right knob.
     cal = Calibration(overlay_gain=0.5)
-    assert plan_alteration(_coord(left=4, right=4), cal).affect.intensity == pytest.approx(0.5)
+    assert plan_alteration(_coord(left=0, right=4), cal).affect.intensity == pytest.approx(0.5)
     clamp = Calibration(overlay_gain=10.0)
-    assert plan_alteration(_coord(left=4, right=4), clamp).affect.intensity == 1.0
+    assert plan_alteration(_coord(left=0, right=4), clamp).affect.intensity == 1.0
 
 
 def test_affect_active_implies_non_identity():
-    # min(left,right) > 0 implies left > 0, so an active affect plan is never identity.
-    plan = plan_alteration(_coord(left=2, right=3))
-    assert plan.affect.strength == 2
+    # affect.strength == right, and right > 0 makes dream.strength > 0, so an active
+    # affect plan (even with Left at 0) is never identity.
+    plan = plan_alteration(_coord(left=0, right=3))
+    assert plan.affect.strength == 3
     assert not plan.is_identity
 
 

tests/test_simulator_api.py

@@ -76,6 +76,30 @@ def test_clips_returns_the_manifest(client):
     assert data["clips"][0]["annotations"][0]["key"] == "detected.water"
 
 
+def test_media_versions_endpoint_shape(client):
+    resp = client.get("/api/media-versions")
+    assert resp.status_code == 200
+    assert isinstance(resp.json()["versions"], dict)
+
+
+def test_media_version_is_a_content_hash(tmp_path, monkeypatch):
+    import hashlib
+
+    import simulator.app as appmod
+
+    # Point the media root at a temp dir (the served dir is otherwise fixed).
+    monkeypatch.setattr(appmod, "MEDIA_DIR", tmp_path)
+    (tmp_path / "clip").mkdir()
+    f = tmp_path / "clip" / "base.mp4"
+    f.write_bytes(b"hello-bytes")
+    assert appmod._media_version("clip/base.mp4") == hashlib.sha1(b"hello-bytes").hexdigest()[:12]
+    # Absent file -> None (it's simply omitted from the versions map).
+    assert appmod._media_version("clip/missing.mp4") is None
+    # Re-baked under the same path (new bytes) -> a new token, not the cached one.
+    f.write_bytes(b"different-bytes-entirely")
+    assert appmod._media_version("clip/base.mp4") == hashlib.sha1(b"different-bytes-entirely").hexdigest()[:12]
+
+
 def test_retired_selection_endpoints_are_gone(client):
     # The route no longer exists; the static catch-all yields 404 on GET and
     # 405 on the (now-unrouted) POST. Either proves the endpoint is gone.