So it looks like the face-detection engine has a really short memory. That is, if we turn our heads for a short while (like turn and talk to a team member), the face is removed and the attention level is reset. So I need to re-do my milestone deadlines and try to figure out how to make the program more tolerant of movement…
[edit] Just had to increase FACE_MAX_LIFE
Situated Interactions 
Perry are you using the version that is in SVN — keep track of the modifications you make, as I have a version that hooks into SSAPP, the new name for my python based sensor aggregation framework.