Cultural factoids of the day: 64

Perhaps because 64 is a power of two, and a square and a cube, but also for other reasons, it pops up in lots of places. Here are some of the things I’ve associated it with over the years:¶ Crayola 64-crayon box: as a kid, this box seemed like the ultimate luxury, the Rolls-Royce of crayons. So many colors, and the box had a built-in sharpener. Advanced technology!¶ A chess board has 64 squares, and is used as the setting for the age-old question about doubling: would you rather have one billion dollars, or a penny on the first square, then double the number on each next square? It’s an eye-opening demonstration of exponential growth and how big numbers can get. Take the chess board: you’ll have 184 million times more money!¶ I grew up in New York City too late to visit the 1964 World’s Fair, but its aura hung over the city. I was always fascinated by it, and still am. It epitomized the early 60’s optimism about the future. This Love of Theme Parks video does a good job capturing the…