Totally get where you're coming from, but I see it a bit different. The tech isn't really the thing to blame, it's people skipping the check because the tech exists. A machine can flag a cold shut, but someone still has to be looking at the report or doing a spot check. Sounds like your old foreman had it right, that step just got moved, not removed. Letting any batch go without a human giving it a final once-over is asking for trouble.

That whole "borrowing time from your future self" thing is way too real. Sounds like the building was just waiting for the most inconvenient moment to spring that corroded wire on you. Gotta love when a simple job turns into a full archaeological dig for a single bad splice. The payback headache always arrives right when you're about to pack up for the day.

Had a similar wake-up call on a retrofit in a 90s office building... the fire alarm loop kept faulting from one corroded wire in a conduit packed with other lines. Now I tone out every leg before I even pull out my tools... it's just part of the routine. That check catches hidden problems like rodent damage or old splices you'd never see. Skipping it is just borrowing time from your future self... and the payback is always a huge headache.