- Big Four has big fame in the Northwest. At least that’s what I’ve always thought. Its fame stems from two seeds of awe: the stupendous North Face and the ice caves at the foot of the North Face. The North Face is plainly visible from the highway (Mountain Loop Highway) at several locations and from the viewpoint/picnic area near the highway. This face is 4,000 ft high. It rises like a palisade from the ice caves in a series of high-angle ribs and gullies. The ribs rise up to form five distinct nubs that look like brass knuckles. Indeed the symbolism is apt, for there is no easy way to the top of this peak and it might beat you up if you try. The peak is everywhere rugged. The easiest route is from the east (from Dry Creek). The North Face relents with difficult ice climb routes but it is generally avoided in summer (loose rock). The NE Ridge contains a hard rock route called the Tower Route.
- Mountain Loop Highway (summitpost.org)
The Mountain Loop Highway is home to many popular cascade hikes and climbs. There is no doubt that the scenic beauty of the Mountain Loop Highway Peaks far exceeds that of the I-90 corridor Peaks. There is more diversity in wildlife, foliage, and summit blocks are generally more rugged and exposed. The Mountain Loop Highway is a well kept secret among the locals of Washington State with the exception of Mount Pilchuck, trails are seldom crowded and tranquil isolation is the norm.
- The Z-80’s 16-bit increment/decrement circuit reverse engineered (righto.com)
The 8-bit Z-80 processor was very popular in the late 1970s and early 1980s, powering many personal computers such as the Osborne 1, TRS-80, and Sinclair ZX Spectrum. It has a 16-bit incrementer/decrementer that efficiently updates the program counter and stack pointer, as well as supporting several 16-bit instructions and memory refresh. By reverse engineering detailed die photographs of the Z-80, we can see exactly how this increment/decrement circuit works and discover the interesting optimizations it uses for efficiency.