Complex Systems

Some random UPS package sorting facility
I chose this picture because the ominous red lights remind me of the Terminator

A guy I know is back working at UPS, this time at the sorting facility out by PDX (the Portland airport). This place is maybe half the size of the dungeon (as it is commonly referred to) on Swan Island. At the dungeon they had maybe a dozen people scanning packages at key locations. At PDX, the scanning is done automatically, so they don't have people doing the scanning. Like all mechanical systems, occasionally things break and the system comes to a halt. At Swan Island when something broke, it only shut down a portion of the system. When something breaks at PDX, like a package jams a conveyor belt, the whole thing stops and all the package handlers get a break for an hour or two until they (whoever they are) get it fixed and it starts running again.

We would expect newer systems to have fewer breakdowns, which should result is less downtime over all. If breakdowns start happening too frequently, I expect they will just bulldoze the entire place and build a new one.