Once I figured out this algorithm, I knew I was onto something big. It massively simplified the design of the system by avoiding all the aforementioned problems, along with making things way more performant. (Amusingly, the day I figured out the algorithm I had a date with a girl I'd met recently. But I was so excited by what I'd just discovered that I was completely distracted the whole time. Needless to say, I did not do well with the girl.)