I really can't figure out why so many people read The Old New Thing, or perhaps more accurately, feel compelled to comment in the comment section. This post is perfectly typical of the level of technical comprehension necessary to enjoy the blog. You are routinely expected to (after explanation at least) be able to understand COM, or the details of the Windows message pump, or how C++'s deallocation interacts with Windows process shutdown, or how threading interacts with destructors, or as in this case, get the joke without having it explained for you, but the comment sections are always populated by dozens of people who are just lost as can be. I don't know how they get there in such quantity, or why they seem to collectively stay. (Do they get to the blog via google searches and stick around because they think it's a place to complain about Windows? It's certainly at least one popular pasttime....)

I'm grateful that Raymond Chen seems to have a lot of patience for it, because The Old New Thing is a unique gem and would be irreplaceable if shut down, so I'm glad he keeps at it. May his patience stay strong.

I have to admit i had to look up "two's complement" to get the explanation.