Start learning 8086 or more commonly known a x86 Assembly... That will get you much closer to the hardware and will give you entirely new sets of problems to solve and an immense knowledge of how computers work.
Guaranteed to make you a better software engineer.
That sounds like more of a way to learn x86 assembly than a way to learn C. For all we know, this guy is writing his C for an ARM or a m68k - who knows?
the OP says "My objective is to better understand how computers work, how ruby works, and generally to be a better software engineer." I just gave him options.
> Guaranteed to make you a better software engineer.
I wouldn't say it's a "Guaranteed" way to make you a better software engineer, but it does offer a lot of perspective that is invaluable to the fundamentals of microprocessors and how we interface with them.
Guaranteed to make you a better software engineer.