Packages

There's a special feeling you get when waiting for a package. Whether it's a new book from Amazon, the plastic cutlery you bought on Ebay after returning from the pub a bit worse for wear, or, in my case an 8-foot golf swing trainer that I treated myself to last birthday and which now occupies the majority of the study. You get a little excited, a little nervous - the anticipation is palpable.

The financial world is waiting for its own kind of special package, of the rescue variety, from the US government. And boy are the markets all a-jitter. The sums involved are so vast they are basically beyond comprehension, although the general consensus seems to be that it will probably not be enough. More than a few people are unconvinced that the package is actually a good thing, and the US congress has decided it needs repackaging before it gets delivered to all the fidgety bankers. In the meantime, we wait...

While you're waiting for the numbers, here's a little puzzle to keep you thinking (courtesy TC):

What's the next number in this series? 1, 2, 6, 42, 1806, ...

I know Trywalker will probably get this in 3 nanoseconds, so rather than spoiling the game and posting the answer in a comment here, please email the next number to dan (at) atigerinafrica (dot) com, and I'll add the names of any brainboxes to this post. Then I'll pick a winner at random and mail them a $700 billion package (if I can get it through congress).

List of Brainboxes:-
Trywalker - (shock) please read all instructions before solving next time...
Daddy Papersurfer - eats equations for breakfast
UDH Boy - worked it out through the arb
lazy - isn't it past your bedtime?!
tNb - Before coffee no less! Respect...
HeadTeach - No trouble for a brain the size of Richmond. Please explain to orangepeel :-p
Jay - Using the "Depp Effect" ;-)
SparklyAph - With help from the underexercised hairy one {:op );
Bambambam - I'll try to find a harder one next time and you and Trywalker can go head-to-head