[disgruntledphd2]

I really wouldn't call picking out patterns by eye as hocus pocus, I see where you're coming from, but I find (in my own work) that a good graph can help me to understand a model. Again, this does play into the biases of humans, but given enough awareness of these, the intersection of algorithms to find automatic patterns and the ability of the human eye and mind to discern meaning and give interpretation to these patterns is a very powerful combination.