Thomas Blair
@thomas-bg.bsky.social
Building new things, fixing old things. Reader, runner, cyclist, occasional photographer. Tāmaki Makaurau, Auckland, Aotearoa New Zealand.
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November 30, 2025 at 5:29 AM
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Reposted by Thomas Blair
I don't know if it's "charming" exactly but I'll always remember the last Lufthansa flight circling over Auckland to say goodbye after we closed our borders, and not knowing when they'd be back, but knowing it was the right thing to do
What's a charming memory you have from the worst period of the pandemic?
November 30, 2025 at 12:18 AM
I don't know if it's "charming" exactly but I'll always remember the last Lufthansa flight circling over Auckland to say goodbye after we closed our borders, and not knowing when they'd be back, but knowing it was the right thing to do
Reposted by Thomas Blair
What a great headline
November 28, 2025 at 3:49 PM
What a great headline
Reposted by Thomas Blair
Imagine showing a petrol engine to someone who had only known electric vehicles, and trying to convince them to switch to petrol. No-one would choose the dirty, noisy, less efficient, more expensive vehicle. This isn't 1910, hostage to gender insecurity. We can just choose the better tech.
November 28, 2025 at 2:31 PM
Imagine showing a petrol engine to someone who had only known electric vehicles, and trying to convince them to switch to petrol. No-one would choose the dirty, noisy, less efficient, more expensive vehicle. This isn't 1910, hostage to gender insecurity. We can just choose the better tech.
Reposted by Thomas Blair
Any political “leader” still selling the obviously false choice between #ClimateAction and “the economy” is just reminding us that they clearly don’t understand either the climate crisis OR the economy.
Or they’re cynically hope that WE don’t understand the difference.
Or both.
Or they’re cynically hope that WE don’t understand the difference.
Or both.
November 25, 2025 at 7:02 AM
Any political “leader” still selling the obviously false choice between #ClimateAction and “the economy” is just reminding us that they clearly don’t understand either the climate crisis OR the economy.
Or they’re cynically hope that WE don’t understand the difference.
Or both.
Or they’re cynically hope that WE don’t understand the difference.
Or both.
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November 25, 2025 at 7:34 AM
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Reposted by Thomas Blair
"Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.” — Arthur C. Clarke.
"Any sufficiently advanced walking, biking and transit infrastructure, supported by smart land-use, is indistinguishable from magic.” — me, paraphrasing Arthur C. Clarke.
"Any sufficiently advanced walking, biking and transit infrastructure, supported by smart land-use, is indistinguishable from magic.” — me, paraphrasing Arthur C. Clarke.
November 24, 2025 at 8:23 AM
"Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.” — Arthur C. Clarke.
"Any sufficiently advanced walking, biking and transit infrastructure, supported by smart land-use, is indistinguishable from magic.” — me, paraphrasing Arthur C. Clarke.
"Any sufficiently advanced walking, biking and transit infrastructure, supported by smart land-use, is indistinguishable from magic.” — me, paraphrasing Arthur C. Clarke.
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November 24, 2025 at 8:23 AM
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Reposted by Thomas Blair
The abuse Julie Fairey copped after being HIT BY A CAR is exactly what happens when we treat online harm as background noise. Women in politics bear the brunt, especially women of colour. Until NZ actually regulates platforms properly, this will keep happening #nzpol
www.rnz.co.nz/news/nationa...
www.rnz.co.nz/news/nationa...
'It just seems cruel': Councillor shocked by comments after cycling accident
Councillor Julie Fairey has become accustomed to abusive comments - but she was still stunned.
www.rnz.co.nz
November 23, 2025 at 9:00 PM
The abuse Julie Fairey copped after being HIT BY A CAR is exactly what happens when we treat online harm as background noise. Women in politics bear the brunt, especially women of colour. Until NZ actually regulates platforms properly, this will keep happening #nzpol
www.rnz.co.nz/news/nationa...
www.rnz.co.nz/news/nationa...
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November 23, 2025 at 6:27 AM
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Do not start using Google's Gemini 3 to predict sports results. The best of Google's AI doesn't even know who's in Arsenal or Tottenham's squads this year..... Humans 1, Robot Overlords 0.
#arsenal #spurs #premierleague #gemini3
#arsenal #spurs #premierleague #gemini3
November 23, 2025 at 3:47 AM
Do not start using Google's Gemini 3 to predict sports results. The best of Google's AI doesn't even know who's in Arsenal or Tottenham's squads this year..... Humans 1, Robot Overlords 0.
#arsenal #spurs #premierleague #gemini3
#arsenal #spurs #premierleague #gemini3
Reposted by Thomas Blair
Someone is going to be jealous.
November 22, 2025 at 3:39 PM
Someone is going to be jealous.
Reposted by Thomas Blair
There is only decline ahead for the combustion sector, no amount of bad policy can save it. Including expensive LNG- a truly terrible bet over electrfying faster. Great outline here, via @volts.wtf
open.substack.com/pub/davidrob...
open.substack.com/pub/davidrob...
Clean electrification is inevitable
Kingsmill Bond explains why the global march of "electrotech" has moved beyond the reach of US political interference.
open.substack.com
November 23, 2025 at 12:20 AM
There is only decline ahead for the combustion sector, no amount of bad policy can save it. Including expensive LNG- a truly terrible bet over electrfying faster. Great outline here, via @volts.wtf
open.substack.com/pub/davidrob...
open.substack.com/pub/davidrob...
Reposted by Thomas Blair
The entrance to the 3-storey bike parking garage at Utrecht Central holding 12,500 bicycles. It’s free for the first 24 hours, linked to the station, and used by tens of thousands every day. This is what happens when a country treats bikes as real transport infrastructure, not an afterthought.
November 23, 2025 at 12:54 AM
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November 22, 2025 at 8:00 AM
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Reposted by Thomas Blair
talkin' about the AI bubble
November 20, 2025 at 6:56 PM
talkin' about the AI bubble
Reposted by Thomas Blair
I do think British people need to understand that this is why Musk’s money is aiming at the UK now. The BBC and the NHS are trusted English-language sources that people in the US can access so the people who favour this disinformation would like to destroy them.
This does feel like a major crossing of the Rubicon – the world's best-funded and in many ways most powerful public health agency is now actively pushing disinformation.
I know there's a *lot* going on to care about at the moment, but this one really is significant, and matters well beyond the US.
I know there's a *lot* going on to care about at the moment, but this one really is significant, and matters well beyond the US.
The CDC website now disseminates disinformation about vaccines, claiming erroneously that infant vaccines might cause autism, when we know conclusively that they do not. It is difficult to overstate just how dangerous this is. www.cdc.gov/vaccine-safe...
November 20, 2025 at 2:14 PM
I do think British people need to understand that this is why Musk’s money is aiming at the UK now. The BBC and the NHS are trusted English-language sources that people in the US can access so the people who favour this disinformation would like to destroy them.
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November 20, 2025 at 8:17 AM
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Reposted by Thomas Blair
🧵Spotted While Roaming in Aotearoa New Zealand:
A tiny human (2?) runs his fastest down a garden path to greet his big brother (5?) home from school.
Big Brother stoically accepting all hero worship.
Little Brother doing a happy skip-dance of welcome as he leads the way back into the house. (1)
A tiny human (2?) runs his fastest down a garden path to greet his big brother (5?) home from school.
Big Brother stoically accepting all hero worship.
Little Brother doing a happy skip-dance of welcome as he leads the way back into the house. (1)
November 19, 2025 at 3:22 AM
🧵Spotted While Roaming in Aotearoa New Zealand:
A tiny human (2?) runs his fastest down a garden path to greet his big brother (5?) home from school.
Big Brother stoically accepting all hero worship.
Little Brother doing a happy skip-dance of welcome as he leads the way back into the house. (1)
A tiny human (2?) runs his fastest down a garden path to greet his big brother (5?) home from school.
Big Brother stoically accepting all hero worship.
Little Brother doing a happy skip-dance of welcome as he leads the way back into the house. (1)
Reposted by Thomas Blair
"If you're not careful, the newspapers will have you hating the people who are being oppressed and loving the people who are doing the oppressing." Malcolm X.
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
Dark forces are preventing us fighting the climate crisis – by taking knowledge hostage | George Monbiot
The fundamental problem is this: that most of the means of communication are owned or influenced by the very rich, says Guardian columnist George Monbiot
www.theguardian.com
November 16, 2025 at 10:41 AM
"If you're not careful, the newspapers will have you hating the people who are being oppressed and loving the people who are doing the oppressing." Malcolm X.
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
Reposted by Thomas Blair
This is one of the worst parts. Gold plated 4 lane separated motorways connecting no one to no one. Many of these RONS carry fewer vehicles per day than many pretty mid suburban Auckland roads. Not even arterials.
The regions deserve safe, stable connections, but overkill is gunna bankrupt us.
The regions deserve safe, stable connections, but overkill is gunna bankrupt us.
I think user pays is a silly philosophy for infrastructure in general but if New Zealand has nowhere near the traffic volumes to fund these roads then…why do we need these roads?
Hard choices lie ahead, Bishop says, as he explains funding the $56 billion in motorways promised by the Government would require a nearly 50c per litre lift in petrol taxes.
November 19, 2025 at 6:08 AM
This is one of the worst parts. Gold plated 4 lane separated motorways connecting no one to no one. Many of these RONS carry fewer vehicles per day than many pretty mid suburban Auckland roads. Not even arterials.
The regions deserve safe, stable connections, but overkill is gunna bankrupt us.
The regions deserve safe, stable connections, but overkill is gunna bankrupt us.
Reposted by Thomas Blair
NZ’s electric car sales dropped 70% last year while global sales rose, but the Transport Minister says his policies aren’t to blame.
newsroom.co.nz/2025/11/18/g...
newsroom.co.nz/2025/11/18/g...
Behind the Govt's urgent move to make it cheaper to import dirty cars
Analysis: NZ's electric car sales dropped 70% last year while global sales rose, but the Transport Minister says his policies aren't to blame, writes Marc Daalder
newsroom.co.nz
November 19, 2025 at 2:55 AM
NZ’s electric car sales dropped 70% last year while global sales rose, but the Transport Minister says his policies aren’t to blame.
newsroom.co.nz/2025/11/18/g...
newsroom.co.nz/2025/11/18/g...
Reposted by Thomas Blair
This is grimly amusing. Bishop couldn't fulfil a campaign promise because of Simeon Brown's footpath fatwa, so he had to raid a Kāinga Ora fund. Maybe running transport policy as a culture war was a stupid and destructive thing to do in the first place, eh.
NEW: Chris Bishop used housing money to fund a bridge in his electorate his own Govt had killed off.
Officials were against the move and Labour say he shouldn’t have been anywhere near the decision.
www.thepost.co.nz/politics/360...
Officials were against the move and Labour say he shouldn’t have been anywhere near the decision.
www.thepost.co.nz/politics/360...
Chris Bishop diverts Kāinga Ora money to fund a bridge in his electorate
Officials warned against the use of housing funds for bridge building but Bishop says it was a “pragmatic choice”.
www.thepost.co.nz
November 17, 2025 at 7:36 PM
This is grimly amusing. Bishop couldn't fulfil a campaign promise because of Simeon Brown's footpath fatwa, so he had to raid a Kāinga Ora fund. Maybe running transport policy as a culture war was a stupid and destructive thing to do in the first place, eh.
Reposted by Thomas Blair
We do not need LNG imports, we need to understand the energy revolution is already here. Described below with a fresh metaphor that perhaps can get through to the backward facing crowd…?
open.substack.com/pub/electrot...
open.substack.com/pub/electrot...
Silos for Sunshine
We’ve mastered harvesting the sun, but storage is the gamechanger
open.substack.com
November 18, 2025 at 6:11 AM
We do not need LNG imports, we need to understand the energy revolution is already here. Described below with a fresh metaphor that perhaps can get through to the backward facing crowd…?
open.substack.com/pub/electrot...
open.substack.com/pub/electrot...