Nicole Kobie

Journalist

London

Freelance journalist covering tech, transport and science Contributing editor to Wired UK and Futures editor at PC Pro. Bylines in New Scientist, Motherboard, the Guardian, Teen Vogue, WebUser, Computer Shopper, Computer Active, Grazia, Big Issue, the Outline, IT Pro, Alphr and more.

Nicole Kobie

Journalist

London

British Government Puts Brakes on UK's First New Nuclear Power Plant in 20 Years
Recent tumult in British politics hasn't helped the troubled Hinkley Point C project, with the government now calling for a review. After years of tussling, French energy company EDF this week finally agreed to fund and build Britain's next nuclear power plant—but rather than sign the contracts, the British government has further delayed the process by ordering a review of the project.
Motherboard
Tech Science News
How to hack your senses: from 'seeing' sound to 'hair GPS'
WIRED meets the innovators at the Hack the Senses hackathon in London
Wired UK
Tech Science
The UK’s Next Nuclear Power Plant Could Collapse Before It’s Built
The UK could face power outages and missing emissions targets if the nuclear plant isn’t built – but that doesn’t mean it should be. Nuclear power stations are always controversial, but the UK’s proposed Hinkley Point C is particularly so. It may well be the most expensive object ever built; it guarantees higher power bills; and it’s already taken down executives, despite construction yet to start.
Motherboard
Tech Science
23andMe: What happens when a hypochondriac takes an online DNA test
I’m a hypochondriac – about twice a month, I convince myself I have some obscure cancer – so 23andMe’s genetic testing appeals to my internal weaknesses. Spit in a tube, mail it away, and get a detailed report of everything that’s wrong with me – not, as it would turn out, cancer, but we’ll get to that.
Alphr
Tech Science
The infrared sensors that could make cycling safer
In the UK’s major cities, more people than ever before are hopping on their bikes and cycling to work. The number is up 144% over the past decade in central London, and more than 80% in Brighton, Bristol and Manchester, according to the Office for National Statistics. With more cyclists on the road, it’s important to figure out how to give them space to be safe and get around efficiently, without cutting into pedestrian walkways or forcing them to do battle with cars.
Alphr
Science Tech
Broadband from space: The battle for satellite internet
Here’s how to annoy rural Britons: give Martians faster broadband access. Elon Musk, the forward-looking mastermind behind SpaceX and Tesla electric cars, wants to build a satellite internet system that could reach Mars – and he has competition from Richard Branson’s Virgin Media. The idea may sound crazy, but broadband networks have taken to the skies before, with Google testing connectivity via weather balloons and, along with Facebook, investing in internet-delivering drones.
Alphr
Science Tech Space
This Show Set in Drought-Ridden 2050 Stars Real Scientists
Art and science are often pitted as polar opposites, but an upcoming climate-themed immersive theatre show bucks the trend by starring actual scientists. It's like watching a sci-fi flick with a physicist next to you in the cinema. Set in 2050, New Atlantis imagines a world where London's authorities have failed to properly manage the capital's water supply.
Motherboard
Science Tech
Are robots really going to take your job?
Oxford researchers have warned that a third of UK jobs could be lost to robots. Nicole Kobie separates the fact from the fiction
PC Pro
Tech Science
The men trying to save us from the machines
Will computers grow so intelligent they wipe out the human race?
PC Pro
Tech Science
3D museums that never close
The Science Museum’s 50-year-old shipping galleries were almost lost forever – until they were scanned in 3D
PC Pro
Science Tech

About

Nicole Kobie

journalism

writing

editing

news

features

blogging

columns

photojournalism

photography

technology

spending hours at the pub

Being retweeted by Snowden

You may have seen my work at PC Pro, where I edit the Futures section, on Wired UK, where I'm a contributing editor, or in WebUser, where I write the news pages. I also regularly contribute to Teen Vogue, The Outline, CityMetric, New Scientist, Alphr, Vice's Motherboard, IT Pro and Cloud Pro, Computer Shopper, and the Telegraph, and have written for Mental Floss, Ars Technica, Trusted Reviews, MacUser, Computer Active, The Calgary Herald, the Guardian, and more.

I’m a creative, hard-working digital and print journalist, currently specialising in technology, science and transport stories, but happy to write about anything -- even Theresa May coughing.

I focus on high-quality news and features stories, explaining complicated topics with clean, precise writing. I work quickly, write accurately and, perhaps most importantly, hit my deadlines.

Aside from writing and editing, I've had training in investigative journalism, data journalism and photojournalism, and used to be a regular on PC Pro's podcast.