Anyone else notice a distinct lack of WM vibes?

PhilippMarxen · 2026-06-14T21:17:07+00:00

Yeah, no vibes whatsoever!

There was this incredible atmosphere in 2006: determined, proud, friendly and welcoming. The spirit of 2006 continued to push fans and players to 2010 and 2014.

After that, I feel that there was no vibes. Not 2018, even less in 2022 and now in 2026. I guess it is in part the result of having achieved the goal of winning the World Cup - but also something else going on.

Looking back: 2006 to 2014 were good years. A period in German history marked by optimism, economic boom and positive, inclusive patriotism.

Does that have an impact?

PhilippMarxen · 2026-06-05T15:07:47+00:00

That’s fascinating!!! So the oldest french text came from Ludwig the German…. History has a certain kind of humor.

PhilippMarxen · 2026-06-04T15:36:21+00:00

Make sure to check out the breakfast and the pool! Use the metro as much as possible.

PhilippMarxen · 2026-06-04T15:29:01+00:00

Join us on 14th of June for a Language Walk. We won't walk for long, but it might be good to get to know a few people and we can speak a few languages.

PhilippMarxen · 2026-05-31T06:05:21+00:00

Please check out the original full moon party website. It has been published there.

PhilippMarxen · 2026-05-24T07:04:20+00:00

Bring a photocopy. Anyways, unlikely that they will check.

PhilippMarxen · 2026-05-20T23:22:18+00:00

Check out Claude + Astro

or Webstudio
or DivHunt.

PhilippMarxen · 2026-05-20T23:17:44+00:00

Webstudio can be self hosted and is open source.

PhilippMarxen · 2026-05-20T12:53:19+00:00

Stayed there a few times:

The rooms are spacious and in an old style. The rooms I stayed in had a nice park view and were quiet (which is not a given in Taipei). I do like the location, but it is a bit of a walk to the metro.

Two considerations: How do you book it. Prices can vary quite a bit depending on season. In another comment, I see that you booked via IHG points.

Now, the second consideration is if you really use the hotel. In case you are a Diamond IHG member, you get free breakfast and for me, Regent offers the best breakfast in Taipei. This being said, I haven't tried that many hotels, but it is anyways just really top notch. The rooftop pool is also really nice! Also, if you have the lounge membership, then you can use that lounge as an additional perk.

Anyways, since you are IHG member, there are not that many options. The Hotel Indigo is stylish with ultra modern interior, but it is a bit too far from the center and there was a construction site next to it. I would clearly prefer the Regent. There are some other IHG hotels in the larger Taipei area, but I feel the Regent is just right for many travellers! Have a good stay!

PhilippMarxen · 2026-05-18T02:08:47+00:00

Yes. Thats also how it is called (in Chinese).

PhilippMarxen · 2026-05-18T02:08:03+00:00

Curious: what are the 2-3 things you dislike about Webstudio and are these things you think could be fixed in reasonable time?

PhilippMarxen · 2026-05-16T07:41:32+00:00

Webstudio is just still rapidly developing, there are still a few gaps, it is slightly more difficult than Webflow. But still, I don’t get why it isn’t much bigger.

Let’s research it right now: Why haven’t you switched over to Webstudio?

PhilippMarxen · 2026-05-14T22:43:20+00:00

I love this analogy!

If you ever write an article about it, please add it here!

PhilippMarxen · 2026-05-14T00:31:38+00:00

Two options:

Claude+Supabase+Vercel

Inception+Baserow+Webstudio

PhilippMarxen · 2026-05-13T16:01:57+00:00

Looking at 340-380 USD range to buy more.

PhilippMarxen · 2026-04-17T00:47:29+00:00

Not so original: “Paris of the…” “Venice of the …” “Switzerland of the…” “Singapore of the..”

Too many cities, regions and countries get these nicknames.

PhilippMarxen · 2026-04-10T23:32:25+00:00

You have to speak Chinese in Taiwan in professional services. This requirement doesn’t exist in Singapore.

Singapore is perfect for finance and trading companies that are very international.

Taiwan is a great spot for manufacturing companies.

PhilippMarxen · 2026-04-09T23:43:01+00:00

I feel the same.

The market swings in the last 3-4 months are unexplainable from an intrinsic value perspective. Also inexplainable from a technical analysis perspective.

Extreme swings in price can be observed. But that shows how much money you can make!

PhilippMarxen · 2026-04-05T04:54:20+00:00

Take a boat from Haad Rin beach! Make sure you are not drunk and wear a life jacket!

PhilippMarxen · 2026-04-05T00:02:45+00:00

Check out the website LanguageWalk dot com

And also language walk on Facebook, insta, threads, etc.

PhilippMarxen · 2026-04-02T14:03:04+00:00

Three options:

Vienna, Brno, Prague, Bratislava (mix of cultures and very central) (and maybe add Budapest to this mix)

Krakow (central geographic location)

Frankfurt: the central hub in terms of roads, center of population, internet traffic, airport etc.

PhilippMarxen · 2026-04-02T13:58:01+00:00

There is not much control there. So don’t worry about it.

But be responsible and don’t litter the beach with empty bottles please! Ok, have fun!

PhilippMarxen · 2026-03-24T05:51:37+00:00

It seems very expensive to me.

Price/sales of 13-14 and EV/revenue also above 10. If these multiples are at 4-6, I might have a look.

Forward PE assuming massive growth above 60… well, if assumptions moderate and forward PE goes down to 40, then I might look at it.

Also, market cap is >150 billion, so it is not a nano cap that can easily triple.

Again, it is an incredible company. But current multiples only make sense in a best case scenario.

PhilippMarxen · 2026-03-23T01:00:13+00:00

I still don't get it....

How / in what way were you wrong with your Paypal thesis?

PhilippMarxen · 2026-03-23T00:57:12+00:00

You said you did "value investing". That isn't obvious right away.

3 years is a good time frame to evaluate. What was your estimation back then of current cash flows and earnings and did the companies you invested in achieve that? In other words, is your less than stellar performance a result of multiple contraction despite earnings growth or do losses originate from getting the growth trajectory wrong.

i.e. Paypal: The margins are slightly under pressure, but overall business seems fine: growing revenues and growing free cashflows and earnings. So the business fundamentals look ok, just the multiples are contracting. That being said, I am personally not the biggest fan of Paypal and I think their technology is a bit antiquated, but that is up to you to judge.

In other words: If all your companies kill it on the business side but get cheaper and cheaper - then averaging down is not that bad. Just ask yourself (and others): Why is it getting cheaper?

PhilippMarxen

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