What is a Signal?
A signal is the atomic unit of documented experience in Autonomy Realms. Each signal represents a single captured moment -- a video recording, an audio note, a photograph, a written text, or a transmission. Signals are the foundation of the entire preservation hierarchy.
Every signal receives a permanent URL that provides full context: the media itself, AI-generated analysis, metadata, location, and any reflections attached to it.
Signal Types
Signals are categorized by their media type:
- TEXT -- Written content, notes, journal entries, or any text-based documentation
- PHOTO -- Still images in standard formats (JPEG, PNG, WebP, etc.)
- VIDEO -- Video recordings in common formats (MP4, MOV, WebM, etc.)
- AUDIO -- Audio recordings (MP3, WAV, FLAC, M4A, etc.)
- TRANSMISSION -- A special type for broadcast-style content
Signal Lifecycle
Every signal follows a processing pipeline after upload:
- Upload -- The file is uploaded and stored securely
- Transcribe -- For video and audio signals, speech is transcribed to text
- Analyze -- AI performs two analysis passes: a surface pass for immediate observations and a structure pass for deeper patterns and meaning
- Embed -- A vector embedding is generated, enabling semantic search across all signals
- Reflect -- Optional reflections can be generated or written, adding interpretive layers to the signal
This pipeline runs automatically after upload. Each step's progress is visible in the notification panel.
The Signals List View
The signals list provides a filterable, sortable view of all signals in the system. You can:
- Filter by signal type, visibility, processing status, date range, or cluster membership
- Sort by date, title, or creation time
- Search across signal titles, transcriptions, and analysis content
Signal Visibility
Each signal has a visibility setting that controls who can access it:
- Public -- Visible to anyone with the URL
- Sanctum -- Gated to subscribers only
- Private -- Visible only to the signal owner and admins