I've never quite understood the idea of a 'server economy', especially in a game so close to infinite as to be indistinguishable. And with mods it's entirely infinite.
If I have to do something other than flip an on switch, it's not really automated. But part of the fun of automation is watching it work. Which is why I like to automate with trains, and buildcraft piping, because you can see things happening. You know when the minecart is moving, something is happening. When you see items or fluids or power in the pipes, something is being done. Even AE recognized that, which is why MA Chambers show things being crafted.
Dire's Rube Goldberg machines from his first couple seasons are excellent examples. They did one thing, make cake, but they had a lot of visual bits and moving components to them. You could see the buckets of milk heading from the cows to the crafting table, and then back to be refilled. Was it necessary? No. Would it have been easier for everything to be done from the inventory? Sure. Could it have been hidden away so Poof: Cake. was all you saw? Sure. Would it have been as cool? Absolutely not. Automation for the sake of Automation bothers me. I'd rather it be a spectacle.