How does meaning arise out of computer memory? How do 0s and 1s turn into numbers, pictures, text, and executable code? You could write an entire book about it---and I wish I had the time and energy to. The book would probably start with Meta-Data and Static Typing, which explains how the relationship between binary and meaning might not be as straight-forward as you might think.
Once we’ve gotten the metaphysics out of the way, the book would then proceed
more concretely with a series of chapters on different specific data formats and
how they work. So far, I have written these posts this post: