Boeing jet troubles puts harsh focus on software automation

Automation is being sold to us as a panacea. Removing irrational human impulses is supposed to make planes, trains, automobiles and other machines safer. Last week, a cutting-edge Boeing 737 Max jetliner plunged from the sky, killing all 157 passengers and crew aboard Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302. It was the second such crash in four months, grounding the aircraft all around the world and raising speculation the problem is software-related. Automation-software stocks have been grounded along with the Boeing jet. It's an opportunity rare for investors. The Max is an aerospace engineering oddity. Two Boeing 737 MAX 8 crashes in Indonesia and Ethiopia, which resulted in 300+ fatalities, were so similar that "Unsafe at Any Speed" author Ralph Nader penned an open request to Boeing to ground the aircraft. Nader's 24-year-old granddaughter, Samya Stumo, ...To read the rest of Jon Markman’s article, click here...