When I was in college, once you reached the senior level Computer Science classes, you were allowed to use any language you like to complete various projects for each course. Most people chose Java, since it was taught in earlier classes, but I explored around a bit in C#, and sometimes submitted projects in multiple languages just for fun. I even wrote a crappy zelda-like game entirely in JavaScript for a web languages class. It really comes down to applying general concepts like MVC GUI design with event handling, threading, network communication, file reading/writing, XML, and algorithms. Once you can use these concepts for one language, the transition to a new one is relatively simple.

Having been through most of that cycle myself, you really nailed it. I've been sticking to 2D game development recently, which is a bit more manageable. Once you realize the difficulty involved, the fun is sapped out of it.

I actually make my living designing and launching weather balloon instruments at NOAA. We use 1500 gram latex balloons, filled with helium. Each one rises until the pressure reaches 12mb (about 100,000 feet), at which time a microcontroller pressure sensor circuit cuts off the valve lid to allow a nice smooth descent. Here are some pictures from a camera launched on one: http://www.esrl.noaa.gov/gmd/Photo_Gallery/Projects/balloon_flight/ http://www.esrl.noaa.gov/gmd/Photo_Gallery/Projects/flight-11-2-06/ (picture number 204 from the first set is my favorite)