Knowing a bit of C but often programming in just about any other language, I was recently inspired to work with lower-level languages like C++ thanks to a bunch of talks from Microsoft's Going Native 2013. Specifically Bjarne Stroustrup's The Essence of C++: With Examples in C++84, C++98, C++11, and C++14 -- video and slides at http://channel9.msdn.com/Events/GoingNative/2013/Opening-Key...

C++ really has changed and is changing from what I learned back in university. It's quite exciting. They seem to be standardising and implementing in C++ compilers the way HTML5 is now a living standard with test implementations in browsers. See also: http://channel9.msdn.com/Events/GoingNative/2013/Keynote-Her...