The impeccable reliability of safety-critical computing has most likely lulled people into a false sense of security. Many accidents just wouldn't happen if there were a sober acknowledgment and balanced processing of the general risks associated with flight.
This is an attempt to redirect the recent negative tone of this thread.
This statement is a very good one. Yes, automation has advanced aviation safety...on the flip side it also has created a false sense of security.
That is why this is a watershed event. It seems that AF447, with what we think we know at this point, is the "perfect storm" of the "human vs. automation" argument. So the point of conversation should not be whether you would rather have HAL flying you around, or a Sky God from the past flying by the seat of his pants! The point should be how do we move beyond this discomfort and meld man and machine. My guess is it may take more man power than originally assumed...which my cause some impediments on advancement.