Understanding Java bytes

Question

So at work yesterday, I had to write an application to count the pages in an AFP file. So I dusted off my MO:DCA spec PDF and found the structured field BPG (Begin Pag

Answer 1

What I want to know is how the bitwise operation works here--more specifically, how I arrive at the binary representation for a negative number.

The binary representation of a negative number is that of the corresponding positive number bit-flipped with 1 added to it. This representation is called two's complement.