I don't need to hijack the other thread, so that I will reply here....

You're right on every front. There are patterns which exist on every chart and on every market. They've not changed and they never will. Every Billion Dollar Manager uses computers to recognize their particular patterns. The signs are then provided by the computer. At that stage, the final filter MUST be a person. He is the most powerful area of the app which makes the choice and hits the button. He gathers information on a daily basis and can respond to the smallest changes. Here is where the ordinary EA will always fail. The computer cannot determine when NOT to take a trade. It doesn't understand that Eastern Europe is in turmoil, which could cause your pattern to fail (That is added Risk). Many of my best decisions were NOT to trade. Again, you can beat yourself up trying to figure out WHY, or you could accept that it just IS.

I Truly hope this helps a little...
FS