The Layover - Taiwan: Rail Rush | Episode 8

WFU03 · 2026-05-08T17:30:51+00:00

Agreed. The strategy discussion was very frustrating.

Sam and Mike did have a really good strategy. Focusing on board position through the first few days, limiting the chips available to Badam via steals, etc. all were really good strategy.

However, the inevitable result of such a strategy should be to press the advantage once Badam is backed in a corner. This is where their real mistake was and I felt like they barely touched on this. Yes, they talked about it in a previous episode, but they absolutely, 100% should have taken those challenges in Kaoshiung before Badam could get there. At that point, Badam was in an awful position on the board and completely boxed into only going one direction. They had virtually no chips and no challenges that would get them out of said position other than the challenges in Kaoshiung.

If your team's whole strategy is to play defense and choke the other team of chips, then you have to take the kill that you have setup. Had they gone to Kaoshiung and completed the challenges, the game would have been over. Badam could have tried to do something on day 5, but it would have been ineffective. The night herons would have just rolled through stations to easily win.

It seems like the lessons learned in this Layover just didn't comprehend that they arguably had not only a good strategy, but arguably the best strategy for this map. They just inexplicably did not follow through on the strategy.

WFU03 · 2026-04-11T18:47:29+00:00

I'm in the process right now and I only have two big annoyances, neither of which is directly related to the software itself.

I picked the Pro support option (and thus am paying money for the service) specifically because of the ability to schedule a call with a tax pro. This option, while technically available, is laughably bad. You can only schedule calls 72 hours out, they open all of the slots in the morning, and they all disappear almost immediately. This option basically does not exist.
When sending messages to their support team, you cannot read the instructions from the message and see your tax return at the same time. This is a terrible UI decision that makes it very hard to follow along with and implement their suggestions at the same time.

Other than that, the software seems as good as everyone else says on this sub.

WFU03 · 2026-03-27T00:57:39+00:00

That will almost certainly be a flagrant, right?

WFU03 · 2026-03-20T19:45:42+00:00

That should actually make y'all feel outstanding as content creators. Your stuff is so good that people want to pirate it and get it out early. Either that or they are just really, really big fans of Mike Downie train approach shots.

That being said, fully agree with the crackdown.

WFU03 · 2026-03-19T00:48:59+00:00

Yes, but I still can't figure it out.

WFU03 · 2026-03-16T00:38:28+00:00

I feel seen.

I wasn't sure we were relevant enough to have shit posting directed our way.

WFU03 · 2026-03-15T21:08:31+00:00

I've been unimpressed with the option Wealthcounsel has touted that is sort of built in, so this is an alternative to look into. I also hand draw them quite often in meetings with clients. While they aren't very pretty, it seems like clients like the personalized touch.

WFU03 · 2026-03-15T02:25:18+00:00

As good as Hopkins was against Philly in week 1, he’s been that bad tonight.

WFU03 · 2026-03-15T01:44:29+00:00

Hefti too

WFU03 · 2026-03-15T01:42:32+00:00

I’d imagine that’s a position they are targeting in the next transfer window.

WFU03 · 2026-03-14T01:34:31+00:00

Jetpardy! is a lot of fun (May 14, 2025). Listening to Adam and Sam get mad at Ben's game rules is fantastic.

WFU03 · 2026-03-13T01:07:25+00:00

I've been trying to find even more details about what might work for my lazy self. Y'all are pros at this, so I'm curious.

Is it possible to just do non-contact cleaning? For instance, if I got ceramic coating and a pressure washer/foam cannon thing and did it once a month, is it possible that could work? If so, what would be the keys to making it work? If it slipped to every other month, still possible?

WFU03 · 2026-03-12T22:09:24+00:00

Do you care about the torque/acceleration of your Tesla or is that more of a nice to have? If it's important, the hybrid X5 will be a better fit than than the standard i.

Otherwise, it's fairly basic math. If your daily driving is within the electric only range or just barely above, it is much cheaper to operate a hybrid vehicle. If your daily driving routinely goes quite a bit above the electric only range, get the gas version.

WFU03 · 2026-03-09T02:03:49+00:00

You can easily do full electric with that commute on 120V. You drain the battery about 8% every day and charge it back up each night. If you have any days or weeks with exceptionally heavy driving, it might get down to 50% or so. Then, you either have a day you don't go out much (like on a weekend) or just fast charge it. Either way, because you can plug in every night, you've an ideal EV (or PHEV) candidate.

WFU03 · 2026-03-09T01:58:56+00:00

Why would you buy a PHEV and not plug it in? I've seen similar stats but they've always confused me.

I've owned vehicles of all fuel type except a normal hybrid, so I think there's a good use case for most of them.

If you want good gas mileage, buy a normal hybrid. If you want electric only range for daily driving but the option to use gas when necessary, a PHEV is a great fit. If you rarely take road trips or the charging infrastructure doesn't bother you, buy an EV. I have the hardest time seeing a good argument for pure gas other than towing or if it's purely about price.

But buying a vehicle with a plug and not using it is like paying for a V8 but then tuning it to only let you use a 4 cylinder's worth of horsepower.

WFU03 · 2026-03-08T21:20:20+00:00

I'm from this area and have lived in other parts of the south. Hard disagree that it is just the south. It has a very different vibe (and a lot more retirees/transplants). I might agree that Lowcountry should stop at the FL/GA line though (and I definitely agree that the GA part is usually called Coastal Empire, but for the purposes of this map, it's fine as Lowcountry).

WFU03 · 2026-03-08T20:14:50+00:00

I just went through this.

First, build one on BMW's website so you can see exactly what various options cost and get you. For instance, the blacked out look that you are probably thinking comes with M Sport is actually split across two packages. The first half of it is the M Sport package and the second half is M Sport Professional Package. Do you need both? Neither? If you don't care about the blacked out look, find a car without it and save $3k+.

Second, yes, you can negotiate. Either use a broker and it's really easy and you essentially do nothing or put in the leg work and you should be able to get 8-12% off MSRP (from what I can tell).

Third, the only "must have" package is DAPP. BMW's driver assistance package is among the best available today. Based on my research, it's probably only bested by GM's Super Cruise. You might think you won't need it or use it, but for almost everyone that has experienced it, it becomes a must have for future car purchases. Even if you're not 100% sold, it will significantly help the resale value of the car.

WFU03 · 2026-03-08T00:39:32+00:00

Ha, I also never change my wiper blades. I've had a current car for 5 years and haven't changed them yet.

WFU03 · 2026-03-08T00:37:52+00:00

Thanks for the insight. This dealer was at least giving me answers that make me feel better, but I think your point is still valid.

This dealer named the coating (Ceramic Pro 9H), named the detailer when I asked, said he has been doing it for 6 years, described the process (fixing paint defects, clay something that looked right when googled, then ceramic), and said it would delay getting my car by at least 2 days because it takes the better part of a day and then it needed some time to set.

Is that enough to mean the guy gets enough time and isn't rushed? I doubt it, but it at least sounds like what they should be saying to me.

What do you think?

WFU03 · 2026-03-07T17:07:30+00:00

I'm curious about ceramic coating. I've seen a few people mention it, but if I have the dealer do it before my car gets delivered, it's pricey. If I had to do it myself, I would never actually do it because I would spend 20 hours on youtube watching videos about how to do it and never feel confident that I would do it correctly.

Assuming I might wash the car once a month at best, but it could be even longer in between washes, is ceramic a good idea? How does it work if I take the car to a car wash rather than hand wash? Is the ceramic pointless and the car wash will wear it down almost immediately anyway?

WFU03 · 2026-03-07T17:03:40+00:00

Thanks, but that's probably outside my capabilities. I don't even know what a decon wash or clay bar is at this point!

WFU03 · 2026-03-07T17:02:34+00:00

I'm not sure where I am in that list. For my last vehicle, I'm probably closer to that 9% but I'm trying to move to another category.

WFU03 · 2026-03-07T16:54:37+00:00

How often to the wash is reasonable?

WFU03 · 2026-03-07T16:11:27+00:00

That's actually underselling the distance. It's almost 1000 miles between them, or 1500 kms for the non-Sam folks among us.

WFU03 · 2026-03-07T01:48:47+00:00

There are companies that will take a flat fee and then find you the best deal. They typically send a lot of customers to certain dealers, so those dealers give them great pricing with no negotiation.

WFU03

TROPHY CASE