If a user is interacting, DO NOT UPDATE the list / models / etc.
If an update is required, rather than just desired, freeze all input so the user knows it's about to update, this might be accompanied by a quick 'fade' or other color shift to indicate an update is about to be pushed and they should release and re-plan actions.
pmarreck
It seems related to "debouncing", where you delay a lookup (to autocomplete, etc.) until a certain delay after a user stops typing
If an update is required, rather than just desired, freeze all input so the user knows it's about to update, this might be accompanied by a quick 'fade' or other color shift to indicate an update is about to be pushed and they should release and re-plan actions.