iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

GeorgeWeeks2014 @georgeweeks2014.bsky.social · 8h

Its not as if modern pick-up trucks are particularly good load carriers these days.

GeorgeWeeks2014 @georgeweeks2014.bsky.social · 16h

Here (as a sample) the Beatles upend the class system as set out only a few years earlier by playwrights like Joe Orton. So interesting. And the book is absolutely full of little snippets like this. So many verbal pictures of 1960s Britain.

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GeorgeWeeks2014 @georgeweeks2014.bsky.social · 16h

Parking-protected cycle lanes in Auckland! Better things are possible. Also Cohaus is looking super 🏡

Cycleway located between footway and carriageway.

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GeorgeWeeks2014 @georgeweeks2014.bsky.social · 16h

I have always enjoyed Craig Brown's @privateeyenews.bsky.social contributions but he's a splendid biographer too. 'One Two Three Four' is a #Beatles biography featuring pretty much everyone who was anyone in the 1960s. Insightful, engaging & very funny. Just like CB + JGP&R. Highly recommended.

Front cover of 'One Two Three Four' - a Beatles biography featuring pretty much everyone who was anyone in the 1960s.

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GeorgeWeeks2014 @georgeweeks2014.bsky.social · 20h

Just learnt about another: Iso Grifo. Italian styling with American small-block V8. Extremely expensive, designed to compete with Ferrari and Maserati. John Lennon owned one briefly before giving it as a birthday present to his mate Magic Alex. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iso_Grifo

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GeorgeWeeks2014 @georgeweeks2014.bsky.social · 10/10/2026

Call me old-fashioned but I think BMWs looked better when their quad headlights were round.

Navy blue E32 BMW 740i sporting characteristic quad headlights.

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GeorgeWeeks2014 @georgeweeks2014.bsky.social · 10/10/2026

Now that CRL is open, there are all kinds of opportunities to make use of the footfall and connectivity. I for one would love to see someone open a pop-up café/bar on the top (enclosed) floor of the Cross Street multi-storey car park 🍻 It's been done in 🇬🇧 www.therooftopguide.com/rooftop-bars...

George Court building, Cross Street, Auckland.

Mercury Lane entrance to Karanga-a-Hape Station, Auckland.

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GeorgeWeeks2014 @georgeweeks2014.bsky.social · 10/10/2026

With City Rail Link open (woohoo!) the quality of the secondary street network in its vicinity needs some attention. Samoa House Lane *could* be a cool alley near Karanga-a-hape station but currently it's just used for bins and car parking. Imagine if it was part of a laneway network to discover?

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GeorgeWeeks2014 @georgeweeks2014.bsky.social · 09/10/2026

This isn't my image but it is my reaction.

Scene from Wall-E. Very fat cartoon people zipping around on floating chairs looking at screens.

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GeorgeWeeks2014 @georgeweeks2014.bsky.social · 09/10/2026

Public transport in Auckland has been transformed over the past 15 years and this makes any city much more lively. These photos show Otāhuhu station as it was (a two-platform halt reached by a rickety bridge) and now (modern transport interchange). And now it's connected to City Rail Link! 🚇

Drawing of Otāhuhu station showing bus/rail interchange.

Enormously long escalator at Karanga-a-Hape City Rail Link station.

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GeorgeWeeks2014 @georgeweeks2014.bsky.social · 07/10/2026

Hardly an XJ6 😭 These are great-looking cars that genuinely make any driveway look classier. The new ones...hmm....not so much.

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GeorgeWeeks2014 @georgeweeks2014.bsky.social · 06/10/2026

Otāhuhu station was rebuilt in 2016 as an integrated rail/bus interchange and today has some of the best public transport connectivity in New Zealand.

Otāhuhu station at night, looking great.

Rendering showing bus and rail infrastructure at Otāhuhu.

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GeorgeWeeks2014 @georgeweeks2014.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

Yep. You see people using electric wheelchairs and mobility scooters in the cycleways in Auckland :) What works for two wheels also works for three or four or six. #UniversalDesign

Man using mobility scooter in Karangahape Road cycle lane, Aukland.

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GeorgeWeeks2014 @georgeweeks2014.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

Bristol is nowhere near having anything as cool as Auckland's Karanga-a-Hape station. New Zealand: Remember, when talking about "European trains" that the quality of investment does vary considerably between cities and countries. Also: Give yourselves some credit for getting CRL built and open!

Platform at Karanga-a-Hape station 🚇 Auckland 🇳🇿

Escalators and lift at Karanga-a-Hape station 🚇 Auckland 🇳🇿

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GeorgeWeeks2014 @georgeweeks2014.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

For what it's worth, the suburban rail infra in Bristol, where I grew up, looks much the same as it did 20 years ago. Yes there have been some major improvements, like four-tracking the line to Filton, but the whole system is still diesel powered; station investment has been limited compared w AKL.

Single track railway bridge at Sea Mills, Bristol 🇬🇧

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GeorgeWeeks2014 @georgeweeks2014.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

When talking about public transport in Auckland, it's important to understand how quick this change has been. Some people's mental images of public transport in Auckland are stuck in the recent past; old diesel trains rattling their way along wobbly tracks & dilapidated stations. Now we have CRL!🚇

Entrance to Te Waihorotiu station (Victoria St).

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GeorgeWeeks2014 @georgeweeks2014.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

With City Rail Link (CRL) now open & wonderful, it's worth remembering how basic Auckland's rail system was in 2009. These photos show Otāhuhu; a tiny halt served by rattling diesels. Rail-wise it took real vision to move things up to where they are today. Video below 👇 youtu.be/RvOBLLv71-w?...

Still image from video, showing Otāhuhu station in 2009.

Still image from video showing approach to Otāhuhu station in 2009.

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GeorgeWeeks2014 @georgeweeks2014.bsky.social · 03/10/2026

The Hobsonville Road Cycleway is coming along nicely too. This should have happened when the SH18 motorway was built 10+ years ago, but anyway...

Hobsonville Road Cycleway; protected with concrete tim-tams.

Hobsonville Road Cycleway, on rebuilt footway.

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GeorgeWeeks2014 @georgeweeks2014.bsky.social · 03/10/2026

Reading the gloriously eclectic and very funny 'Hay Wire' by Craig Brown. Here he disses 'The Art of Discarding': "You see, I DO want things that don't seem necessary....What I don't want is for my house to look like a science lab, with everything spick and span as though ready for a post-mortem".

Front cover of 'Hay Wire, the best of Craig Brown'.

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GeorgeWeeks2014 @georgeweeks2014.bsky.social · 03/10/2026

In 2005, when Hobsonville was being built, it was progressive enough to include cycle lanes, but they were the type where the cyclists protect the parked cars. The rebuilt (2026) cycleway has the parked cars protecting the cycle. Better things are possible! #Cycling #Infrastructure #Auckland

Old-school cycleway located between carriageway and car parking spaces.

Newly-built ycleway located between car parking spaces and footway.

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GeorgeWeeks2014 @georgeweeks2014.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

Now, if BMW could just re-release the E30 as an EV...

E30 Touring in front of the Forth Bridge 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

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GeorgeWeeks2014 @georgeweeks2014.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

Lifts need regular maintenance and TLC; if they become non-functional, step-free access is no longer possible. A lift can be a single point of failure. Ramps, by contrast, very rarely fail. #UniversalDesign #Access #PublicTransport

Non-functioning lift at Auckland's Akoranga station, Northern Busway.

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GeorgeWeeks2014 @georgeweeks2014.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

11111 kilometres! I do like my e-bike. I look forward to the next 11111km and having it reach 22222.

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GeorgeWeeks2014 @georgeweeks2014.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

The left half of the first image shows how we used to think about transport in Auckland (circa 1990). The right half shows the future of transport in Auckland. City Rail Link brings thousands of people into the city centre. It is supported by new streets and spaces to provide a warm welcome. #CRL

Photo showing vast surface car park in Auckland city centre, adjacent to new City Rail Link station entrance in Victoria St.

Photo showing vast surface car park in Auckland city centre.

Photo showing City Rail Link station entrance in Victoria St.

View of station platforms at Te Waihorotiu.

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GeorgeWeeks2014 @georgeweeks2014.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

Introducing the Chevrolet MegaTruck SuperEgo 2500. Buy the biggest. It's a conscious buying decision.

Ridiculous (photoshopped) American pickup.

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GeorgeWeeks2014 @georgeweeks2014.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

Yes. Back when I was little, a four-door saloon was a family car. Look at a 3-series from 1988 compared with a modern one and it looks like a Matchbox car.

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GeorgeWeeks2014 @georgeweeks2014.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

Prague had a surprisingly high number of these cowboy trucks. They look ridiculous; like huge fingers pointing out the chronically insecure.

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GeorgeWeeks2014 @georgeweeks2014.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

Hell no. They're like the cheap seats at the Globe Theatre (BYO cushion) but that is *meant* to be an authentic C17th experience. You can have modern comfy train seats. Pretty much every nation in the world manages to do it. Japanese and Taiwanese seats are the best. Comfy and rotatable.

Seats on Kyushu Sonic Express train in Japan. Comfy padding and can be rotated to face the way you are going.

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GeorgeWeeks2014 @georgeweeks2014.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

"All cities are too hot for cycling....except when they are too cold. And they're too rainy but then also too dry. And the weather is too unpredictable...blah" Meanwhile the Netherlands has a pretty mediocre climate and a lot of people riding bikes.

Entrance to cycle parking garage at Utrecht Station.

Dutch cycleway (plus horsewoman) near Rotterdam.

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GeorgeWeeks2014 @georgeweeks2014.bsky.social · 20/09/2026

Car!? What saps. Real winners drive a TRUCK. Be Murican! If you can't Dodge it, RAM it!

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GeorgeWeeks2014 @georgeweeks2014.bsky.social · 20/09/2026

London Paddington. ▪︎ Designed by Isambard Kingdom Brunel ▪︎ Grade 1 listed ▪︎ Three original cathedral-like spans ▪︎ Skillfully extended with fourth span in early 1900s ▪︎ Restored in 2010s ▪︎ Extended again with Crossrail/Elizabeth Line in 2022 ▪︎ Encapsulates the history of rail in London ▪︎ Beautiful

Paddington station (view down central (second) span).

Station entrance at Paddington (into fourth span) and newly-repaved forecourt.

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GeorgeWeeks2014 @georgeweeks2014.bsky.social · 19/09/2026

Even better than appearing on Homer Simpson's Revenge List. "Alright stool, you just made the list!" #Simpsons #HomerTheGreat

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GeorgeWeeks2014 @georgeweeks2014.bsky.social · 19/09/2026

Los Angeles, like its sister city Auckland, went all-in on cars and freeways in the 1950s. Since the 2000s, both LA and Auckland have made big steps to reintroduce rapid transit & improve buses. Change isn't easy. But it's possible. And worthwhile. www.greaterauckland.org.nz/2026/09/10/v... #ART

Map of Auckland Rapid Transit in September 2026.

Map of Auckland Rapid Transit in 2001 (there wasn't any)

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GeorgeWeeks2014 @georgeweeks2014.bsky.social · 19/09/2026

And London. And Sydney. And Auckland...and every other city that has invested in decent bike infrastructure. If you enable people to cycle, they will cycle. But this has to be proper enablement, which means separation from traffic. A few sharrows will not cut the mustard! #cycling #infrastructure

Cycleway in Sydney (Kirribilli; North Shore).

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GeorgeWeeks2014 @georgeweeks2014.bsky.social · 18/09/2026

Agreed. I'd love an EV but not one that listens to my conversations and uses it to sell me things. And I'm not a fan of the big screens and general meddling. As far as I am concerned, car tech was at its best in the late 1980s (in high-end vehicles). That's the type I would prefer :)

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GeorgeWeeks2014 @georgeweeks2014.bsky.social · 18/09/2026

You increasingly see people in powered wheelchairs using the cycleways in Auckland. The benefits of smooth, continuous rights of way are relevant beyond the needs of bicycle riders. #UniversalDesign

Man travelling along Karangahape Road cyleway in electric wheelchair (Auckland, NZ)

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GeorgeWeeks2014 @georgeweeks2014.bsky.social · 18/09/2026

Yep. Like reading about 1970s plans for Robbie's Rapid Rail, which proposed extra lines to east Auckland, North Shore and down Dominion Road. Or anything about Auckland's pre-1956 tram network.

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GeorgeWeeks2014 @georgeweeks2014.bsky.social · 18/09/2026

Not a stupid question. There are several big advantages of light rail: 1) transports more people per hour by using longer vehicles 2) enables very pedestrian-friendly streetscape 3) easier to provide step-free boarding 4) more spacious vehicles 5) Smooth ride on rails - less lurching than on a bus

Light rail vehicle in Oslo, in very attractive granite-paved square.

Person in electric wheelchair boarding tram in Sydney.

Diagram from NACTO showing the people-moving ccapacity of different transport modes.

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GeorgeWeeks2014 @georgeweeks2014.bsky.social · 18/09/2026

Indeed. Compare Welly with City of Melbourne, which engaged Gehl at the same time & actually took his advice seriously. Central Melbourne has made good use of its secondary street network and is flourishing! To get an idea of what Wellington would be if Gehl's advice had been heeded, go to Oslo 🇳🇴

Largely traffic-freee street in central Oslo.

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GeorgeWeeks2014 @georgeweeks2014.bsky.social · 14/09/2026

Pecha Kucha event in Dunedin this Thursday. Part of the Aotearoa Festival of Architecture 2026, this is a great way to have many short presentations in an evening. ▪︎ 20 slides ▪︎ 20 seconds per side And it's free! Go along! #Architecture #PechaKucha #Dunedin #NZIA

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GeorgeWeeks2014 @georgeweeks2014.bsky.social · 13/09/2026

Auckland's City Rail Link has opened! This is a major improvement to our existing rail network, with new stations, trains, journeys and destinations. The station architecture is high-quality, v. modern & v. Auckland. It's already proving popular with passengers :) #CRL #Auckland #PublicTransport

Train arriving at Karanga-a-hape station.

Enormously long escalator at Te Waihorotiu station.

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GeorgeWeeks2014 @georgeweeks2014.bsky.social · 12/09/2026

I would love a T25 Caravelle with this kind of conversion. Replace the old asthmatic flat-four with a modern electric drive. #EV #ClassicCar

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GeorgeWeeks2014 @georgeweeks2014.bsky.social · 11/09/2026

Nice. I would love to see an electric version of the T25 Caravelle, a sharp-looking bus that was incredibly popular with families in South Africa 🇿🇦

South African spec Volkswagen Caravelle from about 1990.

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GeorgeWeeks2014 @georgeweeks2014.bsky.social · 08/09/2026

The UK could have stuck with its existing CEGB which worked at scale. Nuclear power was a big thing in the UK and by the late 1980s they had just about figured out how to build AGRs on time and budget (Torness, Heysham 2). Privatisation led to the "Dash for Gas" and our current (ha!) predicament.

Torness nuclear power station. 1.2 megawatt. Advanced Gas-Cooled Reactor (AGR).

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GeorgeWeeks2014 @georgeweeks2014.bsky.social · 07/09/2026

Oh come on. This is morning rush hour in central Auckland, yet here we have a crane lorry blocking the bus lane and cycleway in Pitt Street. This isn't an emergency situations. It's pretty rich to block the space-efficient transport modes as if they don't matter. #motornormativity

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