I'm the author. First, I'd like to point out that I started out as a programmer for embedded devices.. so I did know about the parallel nature and powers of two. BUT, I do know lots of programmers who don't. My intention was to teach those who know nothing of computer hardware and are asking these questions. Hopefully you'll be less grumpy now. (:
As I said, I don't see not knowing this as a fault - it's a product of our current environment and the fact that the gulf between HW and SW has widened. As such, it's not making me grumpy. I just thought it made an interesting point about how much we've progressed.
And good on you for pointing it out and teaching about it!
