[conspire] Risks of automation

[Ross Bernheim]

Rick,

A point stressed many times in the 33S training I took in the Army was not
to rush the observation phase. Make sure you collect all the symptoms.

By not collecting all the symptoms under all operating modes you could be
led to believe there was a different problem than the real one.It was surprising
how many flunked out of the course for this reason.

Expertise helps in understanding how the piece of equipment or system 
operates helps insure that you don’t miss anything.

Ross


> On Aug 17, 2018, at 12:06 AM, Rick Moen <rick at linuxmafia.com> wrote:
> 
> A couple of details I forgot to include:
> 
> Q:  Why didn't you notice the automated watering not working at all?
> 
> A:  Because it's set to run once per day early in the morning before dawn,
>    and once after dark.  (Watering when the sun's out is usually not 
>    a good idea.)  I haven't been up at 6:30am to observe the front and
>    then side/back yard watering runs getting water, and just didn't 
>    happen to be out there at 7:30 pm to see that sequence, either.
>    Nor was I up at 6am, three days a week, to see whether the lawn
>    got watered.
> 
> 
> Q:  How long was all watering shut down?
> 
> A:  About two weeks.  Ugh.
> 
> 
> Q:  Were you serious when you said expertise is never required for 
>    diagnosis, just sharp observation, keeping of records, and 
>    consistent use of logic?
> 
> A:  Yes.  Even someone knowing nothing about watering systems could
>    have solved this problem.  It's a matter of knowing what the 
>    system's mission is (automated watering), and being willing to 
>    tinker to test hypotheses and eliminate suspects.  And, my 
>    point is, the same applies for any other sort of diagnosis.
>    All that expertise, and good intuition, buys you is the possibility 
>    of getting to the solution a little faster.
> 
> 
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