# Content candidate pool — operator-selected, vetted (2026-06-24)

> **WIRED (session 0016).** The rotating pool below is now the live manifest:
> `simulator/build_pool_manifest.py` regenerates `simulator/sample_media/manifest.json`
> from this pool; the ring scale `forest`→`coast` rename + the cleanup list (bottom)
> are done; the player picks a random pool member on landing
> (`player.ring.pick_clip_id`). See content-pipeline design §11.

The 5 scales each get a **rotating pool** of clips. When the viewer lands on a
scale by zooming the ring in/out, the player **randomly picks one clip from that
scale's pool**. (This supersedes the one-clip-per-scale model — see
[`docs/superpowers/specs/2026-06-24-content-pipeline-design.md`](./superpowers/specs/2026-06-24-content-pipeline-design.md).)

Every clip below was operator-selected from the candidate gallery, is **strict
public-domain or CC‑BY‑class with attribution**, and was vetted **word‑free /
human‑free** (windows trimmed past title cards, captions, telemetry burn‑in,
divers, construction, logos). All processed via `tools/pipeline/run.py
process_clip` (trim → crossfade‑loop → 1080p proxy). **Media is gitignored**;
this file is the re‑sourceable record. Sim ids are the `simulator/sample_media/<id>/` dirs.

License rule confirmed by operator: **CC0 / CC‑BY / CC‑BY‑SA are acceptable with
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 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
> burned in → cropping lost framing); it was then swapped to STScI's text-free
> *Flight Through the Orion Nebula* (SVS 30957, visible light). The operator found
> the Orion clip merely good and asked for a more dramatic nebula, so the primary is
> now STScI's **Exploring the Cosmic Cliffs in 3D** (Carina Nebula, Webb NIRCam,
> **SVS 31348**) — a full-frame, text-free 3D flythrough sourced from its **4K**
> master (`Clifs-3d-STScI.mp4`, 3840×2160) → supersampled 1080p base + 4K master.
> Trim 10–34s clears the opening title card (gone by ~8s) and the end-credit card
> (~102s). The earlier `decaption_cosmos` crop helper remains removed.
| `cosmos_galaxies` | Flying Through Galaxies | NASA SVS — https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a014900/a014950/14950_Galaxies_FlyThrough_4k.mp4 | 8–32 | PD |
| `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
> `simulator/sample_media/cosmos/base.mp4` as the Webb Cosmic Cliffs flythrough
> (SVS 31348 — see the cosmos-primary note above). **`cosmos_traverse` is an UNSELECTED extra on disk — drop it** (or
> confirm with operator). The current ring scale id is `cosmos`; when the pool is
> wired, `cosmos` becomes one pool member.

## 🛰️ orbit (pool of 3)

| id | clip | source | window (s) | license |
|----|------|--------|-----------|---------|
| `orbit_planetearth` | ISS — View of Planet Earth | NASA SVS — https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a030000/a030700/a030771/ISS_View_of_Planet_Earth_2160p.mp4 | 10–34 | PD |
| `orbit_crewobs` | ISS — Crew Earth Observations | NASA SVS — https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a030000/a030700/a030771/ISS_Crew_Earth_Observations_2160p.mp4 | 9–33 | PD |
| `orbit_bluemarble` | NPP "Blue Marble" rotating globe (CG) | NASA SVS — https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a000000/a004500/a004550/BlueMarble_starfield_4k_2160p30_v2.mp4 | 10–34 | PD |

> Operator also selected aurora→Perth (#4) and west‑coast lights (#5); both
> **rejected as UNUSABLE** — #4 has a date/time burned into every frame, #5 has the
> ISS module + solar panel in frame throughout. No clean window exists in either.

## 🏖️ coast (pool of 4) — NEW scale, replaces the granite/waterfall `forest`

| id | clip | source | window (s) | license |
|----|------|--------|-----------|---------|
| `coast_birdrock` | Bird rock + ocean (aerial) | NPS Channel Islands — https://www.nps.gov/nps-audiovideo/audiovideo/663a2f13-6183-4b3e-a4a9-6698a84619d01080p.mp4 | 3–27 | PD |
| `coast_surfgrass` | Surfgrass / coralline tidepool | NPS Cabrillo — https://www.nps.gov/nps-audiovideo/audiovideo/de7d1cf2-e422-45b5-aa66-4c69e29a4d811080p.mp4 | 2–26 | PD |
| `coast_elkbeach` | Elk resting in coastal grass/fog | NPS Redwood — https://www.nps.gov/nps-audiovideo/legacy/redw/4634070E-F68D-4F74-E43174448168AC8A/redw-elkbeach_1280x720.mp4 | 20–38 | PD (720p source) |
| `coast_drakesbeach` | Elephant seals on dark sand | NPS Point Reyes — https://www.nps.gov/nps-audiovideo/audiovideo/1cfd8165-1061-4d75-af53-b46c2e3ed2701080p.mp4 | 20–35 | PD |

> Operator also selected the Lifeboat Station "elephant seal timelapse" (more‑options
> #3) — **FAILED**: the NPS page's video resolved to the wrong footage (an aerial of
> the bay with road/parking/boats, no seals). An alternate source UUID
> (`50a7a20a-9e52-4643-b186-c61ce1cef0f7`) appeared in the page HTML and could be
> retried next session if the seal timelapse is still wanted.
>
> **Scale rename:** the live ring scale is still `forest` (Yosemite). Next session
> renames it `coast` and points it at this pool. The old real Yosemite base
> (`simulator/sample_media/forest/`) becomes unused.

## 🐠 reef (pool of 5)

All NOAA Fisheries b‑roll (PD, credit "NOAA Fisheries"); Brightcove download
endpoint `https://download.gallery.brightcove.com/api/gallery/account/659677166001/site/site-600408/video/<VIDEO_ID>/download`.

| id | clip | VIDEO_ID | window (s) | notes |
|----|------|----------|-----------|-------|
| `reef_spawning` | Snapper school + yellow fish over sunlit reef | 1553921798001 | 50–78 | clean window from a 12‑min reel |
| `reef_hawkfish` | Humphead parrotfish over reef (Hawaiian atoll) | 6039896460001 | 250–274 | |
| `reef_lionfish` | Lionfish hovering + blue snapper | 4088881464001 | 12–36 | underwater clean; humans on land after ~190s |
| `reef_snapper` | Red snapper schooling (Gulf, greenish water) | 5305427942001 | 7–31 | |
| `reef_coralspacific` | Pacific coral macro, spotted fish | 5231464663001 | 30–54 | diver‑free window (divers at 6–25s) |

## 🦑 abyss (pool of 3)

All NOAA Ocean Exploration (PD, 17 U.S.C. §105). These have creatures drifting
**into and out of frame** — the prime material for time‑windowed tracked labels.

| id | clip | source | window (s) | creatures |
|----|------|--------|-----------|-----------|
| `abyss_wow` | "World of Water" | https://oceanexplorer.noaa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/wow-1280x720-1.mp4 | 10–34 | jelly + ctenophore + siphonophore enter/exit |
| `abyss_midwaterexp` | "Midwater Exploration" | https://oceanexplorer.noaa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/midwater-exploration-1920x1080-1.mp4 | 16–40 | white medusa + red worm enter/exit |
| `abyss_hiding` | "Hiding in the Dark" | https://oceanexplorer.noaa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/dark-1280x720-1.mp4 | 20–44 | crimson jelly + ctenophore enter/exit |

> Operator also selected Crossota (#4) and comb jelly (#5); both **rejected** —
> Crossota has only ~17s clean (too short for a 24s window), comb jelly has a
> species caption covering the whole clip.

## On disk but NOT in any pool — ✅ CLEANED UP (session 0016)

Removed from local media (all were gitignored, so repo-invisible):

- `cosmos_traverse` — unselected (the #6/#3 mix‑up above). **dropped.**
- `orbit_westcoast` — rejected (ISS hardware in frame). **dropped.**
- `forest` — the old Yosemite base, superseded by the `coast` pool. **dropped.**
- `reef` — the original placeholder/early reef base, superseded by `reef_*`. **dropped.**
- `orbit` / `abyss` — the Increment‑1 single real bases (NASA ISS Exp65 / ctenophore),
  not in the new pools. **dropped** (the cosmos base — now the Webb Cosmic Cliffs flythrough, SVS 31348 — stays as the cosmos pool primary).
- `review.html` gallery — now `.gitignore`d (local‑only, re‑buildable).