Place holder for a concept....

[johno]

Mail systems are like groups of monkeys passing coconuts around.

They often add recieved coconuts to the pile in front of them.

Sometimes they can pass the coconut on to the next set of monkeys.


I've got a training session coming up and I'm trying to get the idea of store-n-forward mail systems into a useful metaphor.


***Edit to add***

The USPO is a good base concept, however...

Modern mail systems sometimes do instant hand off.

Comments

[howeird]

store-and-forward metaphor? How about layaway?
Or just normal snailmail - you put the letter in the mailbox, where it is stored until the mailperson forwards it to the PO, which files and stores it till it goes on the truck to the next hop, etc.

[edgreen86.livejournal.com]

And sometimes if one group holds them up too long, the other group starts flinging poo?

[ravan.livejournal.com]

Batch processing at the post office is a more apt metaphor, IMO.

* It accumulates in the box, until the truck (forwarder) picks it up.
* Then it is transported to the post office (router) where it is sorted late anight into boxes for its destinations.
* Then either it is handed to postmen in the morning or routed to another destination for aggregation and sorting.
* Finally, the postman (MTA) picks up the boxes and puts things in individual mailboxes.

[lemmozine.livejournal.com]

For me, the metaphor works better if the monkeys have to learn to be careful because one of the coconuts might contain a hidden lion that will eat the monkey, and another (sent by an evil boss) might fall on his head so the other monkeys can take all his coconuts away.

You could use Shel Silverstein's song "Killed By a Coconut" to illustrate. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xjkOHVVjCuA doesn't seem to have much in the way of video, but the audio is great (and no, that isn't Shel Silverstein - by the time of this recording, his voice was completely gone, and Bob Gibson may also have been inflicted with terminal cancer. More likely to be killed by a cigarette than a coconut.