Nicole Kobie
@njkobie.bsky.social
Transport and tech for PC Pro, Wired, Forbes, etc.
work@nicolekobie.com
Buy my book, The Long History of the Future: https://biturl.top/ryAZFn
work@nicolekobie.com
Buy my book, The Long History of the Future: https://biturl.top/ryAZFn
Reposted by Nicole Kobie
As the head of the Freelance Chapter for Women in Journalism, I wanted to flag up this amazing course that some brilliant journalists are running. I've already signed up. I'm so sick of hearing that AI is coming for my job - now I hope I can gain the AI skills I need to fight back.
September 9, 2025 at 3:53 PM
As the head of the Freelance Chapter for Women in Journalism, I wanted to flag up this amazing course that some brilliant journalists are running. I've already signed up. I'm so sick of hearing that AI is coming for my job - now I hope I can gain the AI skills I need to fight back.
Bring back fact checking!
I find this so fascinating. It can’t just be someone trying to make it as a freelancer, this must be a research project or something?
pressgazette.co.uk/publishers/d...
I find this so fascinating. It can’t just be someone trying to make it as a freelancer, this must be a research project or something?
pressgazette.co.uk/publishers/d...
Wired and Business Insider remove 'AI-written' freelance articles
Wired and Business Insider have removed freelance articles over concerns they were written by AI under a fake name.
pressgazette.co.uk
August 21, 2025 at 9:46 PM
Bring back fact checking!
I find this so fascinating. It can’t just be someone trying to make it as a freelancer, this must be a research project or something?
pressgazette.co.uk/publishers/d...
I find this so fascinating. It can’t just be someone trying to make it as a freelancer, this must be a research project or something?
pressgazette.co.uk/publishers/d...
Delighted to have had my book reviewed by @peterhemminger.com in my hometown's best magazine, the excellent @albertaviews.bsky.social
Check it out here: albertaviews.ca/the-long-his...
Check it out here: albertaviews.ca/the-long-his...
July 3, 2025 at 11:02 AM
Delighted to have had my book reviewed by @peterhemminger.com in my hometown's best magazine, the excellent @albertaviews.bsky.social
Check it out here: albertaviews.ca/the-long-his...
Check it out here: albertaviews.ca/the-long-his...
Reposted by Nicole Kobie
Spot-on.
Blistering piece from @iandunt.bsky.social on Matthew Goodwin's visit to London.
"The success of London is a point-blank, up-against-the-wall-motherfucker refutation of the right-wing populist world view."
open.substack.com/pub/iandunt/...
"The success of London is a point-blank, up-against-the-wall-motherfucker refutation of the right-wing populist world view."
open.substack.com/pub/iandunt/...
They hate London because it is beautiful
Matthew Goodwin went to that there London the other day and what he found shook him to his core.
open.substack.com
June 27, 2025 at 12:18 PM
Spot-on.
Reposted by Nicole Kobie
Once more I ask, if LLMs are so good, why do people have to be bribed or cajoled into using them? www.ft.com/content/f8ca...
May 19, 2025 at 7:37 AM
Once more I ask, if LLMs are so good, why do people have to be bribed or cajoled into using them? www.ft.com/content/f8ca...
So Evri says delivery robots are good because they can wait for disabled people to come to the door -- as long as ten minutes!
Imagine buying robot dogs so you don't have to pay couriers well enough to let them wait at the door.
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Imagine buying robot dogs so you don't have to pay couriers well enough to let them wait at the door.
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Evri to trial delivery robots in Barnsley
The dog-like robots will wait with parcels at customers' homes for longer than human couriers.
www.bbc.co.uk
April 4, 2025 at 11:29 AM
So Evri says delivery robots are good because they can wait for disabled people to come to the door -- as long as ten minutes!
Imagine buying robot dogs so you don't have to pay couriers well enough to let them wait at the door.
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Imagine buying robot dogs so you don't have to pay couriers well enough to let them wait at the door.
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Happy @alcs.co.uk day to all who celebrate.
March 24, 2025 at 11:50 AM
Happy @alcs.co.uk day to all who celebrate.
Reposted by Nicole Kobie
These policies are not only a hugely effective way to cut carbon emissions, lower air pollution, improve public health and foster stronger communities, but they're also popular among voters.
London needs to catch up.
bsky.app/profile/reut...
London needs to catch up.
bsky.app/profile/reut...
If Parisians vote in favour of the proposal, the 500 streets to be vegetated will bring the total of these "green lungs" to nearly 700, just over one-tenth of the capital's streets reut.rs/4bV2CZN
Paris residents to vote on making 500 more streets pedestrian
Parisians vote in a referendum on Sunday to decide whether an extra 500 of the city's streets should be pedestrianised and greened, in a new push by the French capital's left-leaning town hall to curb car usage and improve air quality.
reut.rs
March 24, 2025 at 8:31 AM
These policies are not only a hugely effective way to cut carbon emissions, lower air pollution, improve public health and foster stronger communities, but they're also popular among voters.
London needs to catch up.
bsky.app/profile/reut...
London needs to catch up.
bsky.app/profile/reut...
Imagine if traffic lights didn't require pedestrians to whack a (probably pointless) beg button but could actually see people and prioritise them? Excellent AI project from @astonuniversity.bsky.social
www.forbes.com/sites/nicole...
www.forbes.com/sites/nicole...
How Smart AI Traffic Lights Could Prioritise People Over Cars
AI traffic lights system uses deep reinforcement learning, so each decision is assessed as part of its training using pre-decided metrics such as wait times.
www.forbes.com
March 22, 2025 at 10:05 AM
Imagine if traffic lights didn't require pedestrians to whack a (probably pointless) beg button but could actually see people and prioritise them? Excellent AI project from @astonuniversity.bsky.social
www.forbes.com/sites/nicole...
www.forbes.com/sites/nicole...
Reposted by Nicole Kobie
Unbelievable...we get chatbots that are wrong 60% of the time and some mythical AGI that promises to save the world. The real logic: the AI industry distracts from the Oil industry and needlessly drives up electricity demand to distract from renewable energy, which could soon manage current needs.
"the Harvard Electricity Law Initiative reviewed 40 special contracts...between utilities & data centers. If these contracts offer discounted electricity rates to data centers,...other customers may end up paying for the shortfall through higher utility bills."
web.archive.org/web/20250314...
web.archive.org/web/20250314...
Big Tech is striking secret deals to make you foot its electricity bill, Harvard researchers say
Data centers are spiking electricity demand, and some worry states are striking deals that mean households will pay the cost.
web.archive.org
March 16, 2025 at 11:51 PM
Unbelievable...we get chatbots that are wrong 60% of the time and some mythical AGI that promises to save the world. The real logic: the AI industry distracts from the Oil industry and needlessly drives up electricity demand to distract from renewable energy, which could soon manage current needs.
Love this, hate tablets mounted in cars, not least because looking at them makes me carsick
Next year, the EU will require cars to have buttons & dials -- not just touchscreens -- to get a top safety rating.
This is a great move. Drivers can fiddle with knobs & buttons without taking their eyes off the road, but they can't do that with touchscreens.
(Even better: Tesla will hate this)
This is a great move. Drivers can fiddle with knobs & buttons without taking their eyes off the road, but they can't do that with touchscreens.
(Even better: Tesla will hate this)
Cars will need fewer screens and more buttons to earn five-star safety rating in Europe
Euro NCAP will release new testing guidelines in 2026.
www.theverge.com
February 27, 2025 at 6:08 PM
Love this, hate tablets mounted in cars, not least because looking at them makes me carsick
Reposted by Nicole Kobie
I'm actively looking for a new role, ideally outside of journalism and fully remote. If you wouldn't mind resharing my LinkedIn post I'd be most grateful. 🙏🏼
www.linkedin.com/posts/aendra...
www.linkedin.com/posts/aendra...
Ændra Rininsland on LinkedIn: #opentowork
Hi everyone! I’m seeking a new role and would appreciate your support. If you hear of any opportunities or just want to catch up, please send me a message or…
www.linkedin.com
February 14, 2025 at 2:17 PM
I'm actively looking for a new role, ideally outside of journalism and fully remote. If you wouldn't mind resharing my LinkedIn post I'd be most grateful. 🙏🏼
www.linkedin.com/posts/aendra...
www.linkedin.com/posts/aendra...
I really feel for AI makers on this one. Imagine doing so much hard work, only for someone else to use your work in an unauthorised way without payment to make their AI system better. I can't imagine what that would be like. Poor lads.
www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
Microsoft Probing If DeepSeek-Linked Group Improperly Obtained OpenAI Data
Microsoft Corp. and OpenAI are investigating whether data output from OpenAI’s technology was obtained in an unauthorized manner by a group linked to Chinese artificial intelligence startup DeepSeek, ...
www.bloomberg.com
January 29, 2025 at 4:42 PM
I really feel for AI makers on this one. Imagine doing so much hard work, only for someone else to use your work in an unauthorised way without payment to make their AI system better. I can't imagine what that would be like. Poor lads.
www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
Reposted by Nicole Kobie
Will we ever get flying cars? 🚗
Join us online on 11 Feb with author Nicole Kobie @njkobie.bsky.social to explore why the futures of tomorrow always seem just out of reach.
Register to attend: bit.ly/3WjN9fa
Join us online on 11 Feb with author Nicole Kobie @njkobie.bsky.social to explore why the futures of tomorrow always seem just out of reach.
Register to attend: bit.ly/3WjN9fa
January 16, 2025 at 8:46 AM
Will we ever get flying cars? 🚗
Join us online on 11 Feb with author Nicole Kobie @njkobie.bsky.social to explore why the futures of tomorrow always seem just out of reach.
Register to attend: bit.ly/3WjN9fa
Join us online on 11 Feb with author Nicole Kobie @njkobie.bsky.social to explore why the futures of tomorrow always seem just out of reach.
Register to attend: bit.ly/3WjN9fa
Reposted by Nicole Kobie
We often see the future as a sudden breakthrough, but in reality, it unfolds gradually through incremental progress, pushed forward by innovators.
On this episode, we explore what it takes to create the future and why some ideas fail.
🔗 lnk.to/whyy-thepulse
On this episode, we explore what it takes to create the future and why some ideas fail.
🔗 lnk.to/whyy-thepulse
January 10, 2025 at 3:21 PM
We often see the future as a sudden breakthrough, but in reality, it unfolds gradually through incremental progress, pushed forward by innovators.
On this episode, we explore what it takes to create the future and why some ideas fail.
🔗 lnk.to/whyy-thepulse
On this episode, we explore what it takes to create the future and why some ideas fail.
🔗 lnk.to/whyy-thepulse
Reposted by Nicole Kobie
Truth from @bcmerchant.bsky.social - from "The fires are everywhere":
www.bloodinthemachine.com/p/the-fires-...
www.bloodinthemachine.com/p/the-fires-...
January 9, 2025 at 11:56 PM
Truth from @bcmerchant.bsky.social - from "The fires are everywhere":
www.bloodinthemachine.com/p/the-fires-...
www.bloodinthemachine.com/p/the-fires-...
This by @davidzipper.bsky.social is great. Buses are great. www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
Don’t Shrink the Bus
Could Tesla’s Cybercab and similar smaller vehicles replace traditional trains and buses? Unfortunately, the idea of “personal rapid transit” has some big drawbacks.
www.bloomberg.com
January 9, 2025 at 2:04 PM
This by @davidzipper.bsky.social is great. Buses are great. www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
Reposted by Nicole Kobie
My interview with @njkobie.bsky.social about her book "The Long History of the Future: Why Tomorrow’s Tech Still Isn’t Here."
Stream the show (interview starts at 3:48):
wfmu.org/archiveplaye...
Episode links:
www.wfmu.org/playlists/sh...
More Techtonic: techtonic.fm
Stream the show (interview starts at 3:48):
wfmu.org/archiveplaye...
Episode links:
www.wfmu.org/playlists/sh...
More Techtonic: techtonic.fm
December 10, 2024 at 9:54 PM
My interview with @njkobie.bsky.social about her book "The Long History of the Future: Why Tomorrow’s Tech Still Isn’t Here."
Stream the show (interview starts at 3:48):
wfmu.org/archiveplaye...
Episode links:
www.wfmu.org/playlists/sh...
More Techtonic: techtonic.fm
Stream the show (interview starts at 3:48):
wfmu.org/archiveplaye...
Episode links:
www.wfmu.org/playlists/sh...
More Techtonic: techtonic.fm
Wrote about robots for @newscientist www.newscientist.com/article/2457...
TLDR: if a robot is walking and talking, odds are it's an avatar or really heavily programmed. And when super smart androids do get built, expect a better reveal than delivering canapes and chat at a party.
TLDR: if a robot is walking and talking, odds are it's an avatar or really heavily programmed. And when super smart androids do get built, expect a better reveal than delivering canapes and chat at a party.
Don’t be fooled by Elon Musk’s chatty Optimus robots
The long history of robotics should teach us to be more sceptical when it comes to autonomous humanoid robots, says Nicole Kobie
www.newscientist.com
November 28, 2024 at 9:04 AM
Wrote about robots for @newscientist www.newscientist.com/article/2457...
TLDR: if a robot is walking and talking, odds are it's an avatar or really heavily programmed. And when super smart androids do get built, expect a better reveal than delivering canapes and chat at a party.
TLDR: if a robot is walking and talking, odds are it's an avatar or really heavily programmed. And when super smart androids do get built, expect a better reveal than delivering canapes and chat at a party.
So I'm not even really on this site (I have yet to decide if I can be bothered) but I already get more interactions than in the other place and so far no one is yelling at me.
November 28, 2024 at 8:57 AM
So I'm not even really on this site (I have yet to decide if I can be bothered) but I already get more interactions than in the other place and so far no one is yelling at me.
This was a nice welcome to blue sky!
#nowreading "The Long History Of The Future: Why Tomorrow's Tech Still Isn't Here" by @njkobie.bsky.social
November 16, 2024 at 3:29 PM
This was a nice welcome to blue sky!