thanks signa11 for the nand2tetris reminder. I have worked through that book and it is really awesome. Worth the time and effort for anyone inclined. I had posted my review on Amazon as well. [1]

I think I should enroll for the Coursera thingy and have at least 1 certificate in my kitty ;-)

[1] https://www.amazon.com/gp/customer-reviews/RZ4ME4QH22JML/ref...