Dictation, algae and displacement

2 July

THREE NEAT THINGS

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ISSUE 091 | July 2025

It's the dawn of a new financial year, which means time to analyse my businesses performance for the last year. I love digging into numbers and looking at the data - you can't improve what you don't measure!

I'm also in the middle of the School of Climate Action Design, taking a deep dive on all things human psychology and behaviour to get people to do the environmental thing that you want them to do (super interesting!). I'm doing this while I build my second business, a future-proofing step for when AI eventually steals my job as a photographer…

Happy reading!

Marnie x

I never thought I’d love dictation, but I really hate typing, so Wispr Flow is a match made in heaven. It’s fast and easy, and super accurate - and once I remember to use it all the time, I can see it being a real game changer for getting work done quickly. I’m still on the 14-day pro trial, but it feels useful enough that I’ll likely pay for it.

TRY

Photograph: Jonathan Leijonhufvud, courtesy of Aēsop.

Biomaterials like algae bricks, oyster shell renders and fungi panels are pushing construction toward sustainability, capturing carbon and reducing waste. While cost and certification remain barriers, these innovations help us rethink how buildings connect with nature. I will be exploring this too in my new book on materials - with a chapter on emerging materials and the possibilities they hold for more thoughtful design.

READ

I’ve been watching Families Like Ours on SBS, which follows people relocating as climate change reshapes their homes. This drama is very similar to the recent story about Tuvaluans applying for climate visas to Australia as rising seas threaten their islands. Both are stark reminders that climate change is already moving people and changing lives.

WATCH