Poisson distributions are completely random, so I'm guessing you mean either a uniform or normal distribution. failrate is making a reference to the Thomas Pyn

Poisson distributions are completely random, so I'm guessing you mean either a uniform or normal distribution. failrate is making a reference to the Thomas Pynchon novel "Gravity's Rainbow", in which the Poisson distribution of the bombing of London is a major plot point. And I do believe the author is correct by claiming it is a Poisson distribution, since we are talking a number of events per km^2.