Interesting comment about time frames and risk. I have found that faster time frames greatly reduce risk. however, it's not the time frame itself that does it. It's the use of the shorter time frame, WITH the longer ones that matters.
What I like to do is use the weekly time frame to narrow it down to the most powerful looking charts. Then I scale down to the daily, to pick the chart showing the closest to ideal set up I can find. Then I use the intra day charts (3, 10 and 30) to gauge my entry and exit timing.
My 3 minute is essential, because I can tell when the main move for the day has about exhausted itself by the relation between the price and the upper bollinger band, as well as the relationship between the Bollinger band, and the Moving average (Convergence and Divergence)
It is a step by step, "by the numbers" analysis leading to the entry and exit.
As for automation, I avoid it. I prefer to do everything manually by the seat of my pants. I don not believe an automated system can be made, that takes into account all the various factors that I am looking at. There are too many details all in relation to one another.Automated systems are ridged, and mechanical. The markets on the other hand are fluid, and ever changing. I feel one needs to be able to "Surf" the waves, rather than blindly follow a statistical ridged platform.