The Fed says this is a cube of $1M. They're off by half a million

Counting tools and “dot counter” debate

• Several commenters note that manual click-to-count tools already exist (ImageJ/Fiji multipoint, DotDotGoose, construction/architecture tools like Bluebeam Revu, generic “image annotation” software), challenging the article’s claim that “nothing like it existed.”
• Others point to automated “count things in photos” apps (e.g., industrial ML-based counters) as alternative solutions, though there’s pushback that these don’t meet the author’s stated requirement: you place the dots, the tool just tallies.
• Pricing of industrial counting software is widely criticized as “bananas,” but defended by some as justifiable for businesses where accurate, fast counting is critical.

What’s actually in the cube? Hollow, overfilled, or mispacked?

• Many assume the interior is at least partly hollow or filled with non‑cash material, arguing it’s easier and safer structurally, and more in line with museum logistics and insurance.
• Others think the cube could be fully filled but not uniformly packed, leaving gaps or jumbled stacks in the middle; this still undermines its value as an honest visualization of $1M.
• A key anecdote (from an earlier Reddit thread) claims a tour guide said the contractor built the box with wrong dimensions; instead of remaking it, they simply filled it and still labeled it as $1M.
• There’s minor speculation that the stacks might extend into the metal frame, but most agree that can’t explain a ~50% discrepancy.

Real money, retired bills, or props?

• Multiple comments suggest the bills are decommissioned/retired notes or otherwise stripped of legal-tender status, since the Fed tightly controls destruction of worn bills.
• Others think using prop‑like or partially invalidated bills would minimize risk and simplify maintenance; viewers can’t inspect security features through glass anyway.

Trust, counting, and institutional competence

• The thread frequently generalizes from the cube to how people uncritically accept quoted numbers (budgets, pallets of cash, audits), and how hard accurate counting actually is.
• Some use the episode to riff on government/Fed competence or honesty; others counter that central banks and museum contractors are usually meticulous, making a 50% true overage seem unlikely—hence favoring design or packing issues over outright miscount.