Chapter 01 · Water
That worry is fair.
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01 · Five drops
01 / 11
01 · THAT WORRY IS FAIRframe-01 · 0–10s · 10s
Line assembles word by word on "That worry is fair.", then an unlabelled ruler draws under it on "measure". Nothing else enters; 55 % paper. Seam out: push-slide LEFT.
cut kinetic-type-beats
—Evaporatedon site
—Returnedto the river
—Usedat a distant power plant
01 · Five drops
02 / 11
02 · THREE WATERSframe-02 · 10–19s · 9s
Topbar draws first; one ledger row slides in from the left per named water. Left-anchored, right third empty. Seam out: crossfade.
push-slide LEFT grid-card-assemble
Separate them
≈ 80 % · power-plant water, not the data center's
still counts · just not the town's aquifer
01 · Five drops
03 / 11
03 · FOUR FIFTHSframe-03 · 19–27s · 8s
Eight of ten cells fill left-to-right on "four fifths"; the label lands on "power-plant water"; the tag lands on "It still counts". Value W6 = 80 % (W6b concession on the frame). Seam out: push-slide LEFT.
crossfade dataviz-countup
What a prompt drinks · one ruler, three counts
0.26 ml · cooling only · Google, 2025
≈ 17 ml · incl. power plant · UC Riverside 2023 · GPT-3 era
≈ 48 ml · incl. power plant · thirstiest location · UC Riverside 2023
48 ml · newer reasoning models drink more
01020304048 ml
01 · Five drops
04 / 11
04 · WHAT A PROMPT DRINKSframe-04 · 27–44s · 17s
Ruler draws on "a prompt" with ticks at their true positions; the thin mark grows to 0.26 ml on "zero point two six"; the second to 17 ml on "seventeen"; the third, full ink, to 48 ml on "forty-eight"; "newer reasoning models drink more" lands last. Each labelled with what it counts and when (W1, W3a; scale: length, 48 ml = full ruler). Seam out: crossfade.
push-slide LEFT dataviz-countup
One prompt · thirstiest location
≈ 48 ml
One almond · irrigation water
≈ 1 gallon ≈ 3,785 ml · scarce water that competes
same scale · drawn as area
01 · Five drops
05 / 11
05 · ONE ALMONDframe-05 · 44–52s · 8s
The almond's 9 × 9 block arrives from the right wing and fills cell by cell on "a gallon"; the prompt's single cell arrives from the left. Scale: area (W3a = 48 ml vs W10 = 3,785 ml; 81 ink cells ≈ 79 : 1); the ratio is drawn, not written. Seam out: push-slide LEFT.
crossfade comparison-split
Pair A · the usual count
US AI · on-site cooling
≈ 10 M gal/day
≈ 10 M gal/day
US golf · applied irrigation ≈ 2 B gal/day
200 : 1 · irrigation vs cooling
Pair B · counted the same way on both sides · its own scale
US AI · total,
power plants included
power plants included
US golf · water consumed
≈ 8 : 1 · consumption on both sides
01 · Five drops
06 / 11
06 · GOLF, COUNTED BOTH WAYSframe-06 · 52–71s · 19s
Pair A assembles on "golf pours" (200 cells) and "cooling on site" (1 cell); "200 : 1 · irrigation vs cooling" lands. Pair B assembles beneath at its own scale on "Count both the same way": 8 cells against 1; "≈ 8 : 1 · consumption on both sides" lands. Values W13, W14; scale: area per pair; each side labelled by what it counts. Seam out: crossfade.
push-slide LEFT dataviz-countup
Why does the worry still feel real?
Because it can be.
One place at a time.
One place at a time.
01 · Five drops
07 / 11
07 · WHY IT STILL FEELS REALframe-07 · 71–78s · 7s
Question lands first; "Because it can be." hard-cuts in, then "One place at a time." replaces it in place. The measuring stage has cleared. Seam out: push-slide LEFT.
crossfade kinetic-type-beats
23,000,000
gallons per day · registered
Meta's projection ≈ 1.5 M gal/day · 500–600 M per year · same baseline, per day
one cell = 1 M gal/day
> 23 M
≈ 1.5 M
01 · Five drops
08 / 11
08 · HYPERIONframe-08 · 78–88s · 10s
Topbar draws; the numeral counts up to 23,000,000 on "twenty-three million" as a 23-cell column rises; on "far less" a 1.5-cell column rises beside it, labels above the columns. Values W15, W16 (both per day; scale: length). Seam out: crossfade.
push-slide LEFT dataviz-countup
Meta's projection
Frank Tsai · Louisiana Water Resources Research Institute, LSU
likely fine
Tsai's judgment, not simulated
Full ceiling
17-year simulation · at the maximum registered withdrawal
⋯
0
−20 ft
−40 ft
−60 ft
−65 ft
groundwater · beneath parts of the site
risk: land subsidence · saltwater intrusion
01 · Five drops
09 / 11
09 · SIXTY-FIVE FEETframe-09 · 88–106s · 18s
On "Frank Tsai" the source tag lands; on "Meta's projection" the left card arrives (a judgment, not a model run); on "seventeen-year simulation" the right ruler arrives under its own head; on "sixty-five feet" it empties 13 cells at 5 ft each; the risk tag lands last. Value W17; scale: length (one cell = 5 ft; no bottom drawn). Seam out: cut.
crossfade comparison-split
the state's models suggest no serious concern · LSU's simulation finds one at the ceiling
No state regulator is monitoring the actual draw.
01 · Five drops
10 / 11
10 · NOBODY IS WATCHINGframe-10 · 106–116s · 10s
The held frame: the disagreement lands as a lede on "state's models"; the line slides up on "no state regulator" and nothing moves for the rest of the read. Claims W17, W18. Seam out: push-slide LEFT.
cut titlecard-reveal
The honest shape
—The prompt is drops to tablespoons.
—AI's national total is small next to golf, counted either way.200 : 1 · ≈ 8 : 1
—The real issue is local, conditional, worth watching.
01 · Five drops
11 / 11
11 · THE HONEST SHAPEframe-11 · 116–127s · 11s
Kicker first; one row slides in from the left on "drops", "small next to golf", "local". Claims W14 for the ratio desc. The chapter ends on the still list. Final frame: no seam out.
push-slide LEFT grid-card-assemble
Seam map
01 cut02 push-slide LEFT03 crossfade04 push-slide LEFT05 crossfade06 push-slide LEFT07 crossfade08 push-slide LEFT09 crossfade10 cut11 push-slide LEFT
One direction rule: every push-slide travels LEFT. Frame 1 enters on a cut.
SEAMS11 frames
Tokens
paper #F0EBDE ink #1F2BE0 grid 10 %
Newsreader 400 (display) · Hanken Grotesk (labels, body) · DM Mono (chrome). Zero radius, zero shadow, zero circles, one ink.
Bans: no second colour, no bars coloured by sentiment, no stock imagery, no slideshow (front-load then freeze), no screensaver (floating ambient motion).
TOKENScobalt-grid