Sometimes it’s refreshing to look at other kinds of networks:

The Rhine River, Europe’s most busy waterway, will remain completely blocked for traffic at least until March 29, after M/V Excelsior lost 31 containers. No diversion is possible for about 200 ships arriving per day, which have to anchor at the Rhine banks. The financial loss for the masters, many of which own their inland freighters, is way up in the millions. Salvage of the 31 lost containers is made difficult by lack of equipment, there are not enough cranes & diver ships to work on more than 1 or maybe 2 sunk containers at a time. As officialls stated, a crack in the hull of chartered M/V Excelsior opend during a turn maneuver, being responsible for the list & loss of the containers.

— Container Vessel In Jeopardy, Stephan Edel, The Cargo Letter March 28 2007, Seen in “Boxing Up the Rhine” by Countryman & McDaniel – The Logistics – Customs Broker Attorneys.

For Internet problems there’s usually at least some way to route around, replace a server, etc. Except, of course, for the last mile, provided by the telco and cableco duopoly.

-jsq