I'm the author of this article.
If you find it interesting, here are some links to a couple other articles I've really enjoyed on the topic:
# Queues don't fix overload
http://ferd.ca/queues-don-t-fix-overload.html
# There is no happy path in programming
http://multithreaded.stitchfix.com/blog/2016/01/29/no-happy-...
Also, if you're looking for a whole book on systems thinking, albeit in a more general context, it's worth checking out "Thinking in Systems: A Primer" by Donella H. Meadows.
Once you start thinking about this stuff it's impossible to not see it everywhere. But for programmers, ops people, etc. that's a good thing... because our jobs depend on it.
