>there was the thrill of discovery, in a rather low-level sort of way

Same here, but whenever I embark on a new project today I remind myself of this mantra: "Do not reinvent the wheel" Someone out there has probably already solved your problem, so why not speed up the process and use the fruit of their brain power as a tool to speed up your process? Carpenters or mechanics do not invent a new type of hammer or drill every time they embark on a new project. Why should we?