Circuum?

I'm David Alan Foster. I looked for a single place to share my thoughts about projects I'm working on, things important to me, and topics I think are interesting.

I wanted a single word for this publication, so I made one up... Circuum... pronounced like "continuum," or /sir-q-uhm/. Since I made the word up, I get to define it, but before I do I'd like to hear some definitions from you — send them to <resourcerer@gmail.com>.

I'm currently Co-Founder and CVO of nvntr Inc., Founder and Executive Director of Designfluence, development consultant, and writer of haiku poetry... plus a myriad of eclectic interests. Instead of writing in individual spaces for all of these and other endeavors, which are ever-evolving, I thought it best to put all those efforts in one platform. This one. It's just easier.

So, welcome to my world! Please subscribe if you'd like to support me in this.

Following are the major sections of my "publication" here on Ghost:

• nvntr Inc. — a company that serves inventors and other creators
• Designfluence — a nonprofit designing products for "The Other 90%"
• x-tech — exponential technologies: AI, Advanced Manufacturing, etc.
• design — all things design: biomimicry, industrial, type, architecture, etc.
• haiku — fun fact: my word-haiku blog achieved 324 consecutive entries!
• Dalan — this entry and all other miscellany falls under my nickname

nvntr™

Pronounced "inventor"... a company that matches inventors with resources using AI. It sparked into being in October 2016 during a visit to the Maker Faire and a conversation with inventor Eric Huber, but its roots go back to 1987 when I became Publisher and Editor-in-Chief of Invent! Magazine. And the first iteration was going to be a digital magazine.

We've done some pivoting. Our current team formed in October 2021; in early 2022 we went from four intellectual property (IP) search products to 18 IP service products. In Q3 2022 we added our Partners Program [for service providers] and Legal Counsel Jurgen Vollrath as our fourth co-founder.

As of this writing we're moving from bootstrapped to our Seed round of funding. Grants for veteran-owned businesses would be great too! Visit the nvntr website to find out more.

Designfluence™

Designfluence is focused on affordable, accessible products that empower "the Other 90%." Some examples are solar LED lanterns that replace kerosene lamps, wheelchairs that can be repaired at any bicycle shop, low-cost drip irrigation systems for subsistence farmers, the One Laptop per Child computer, building a house for under $100, and inexpensive eyeglasses.

The organization was formed as a nonprofit in 2004 and operated under a fiscal sponsor for several years. I was particularly inspired by Paul Polak and his book Out of Poverty.

Currently we are "dark," preparing to reboot as a proper 501(c)3 organization with a new board and funding. We developed a number of novel programs that integrate with the core work — GiveBank in particular, a way for designers to contribute pro bono work to in-house and client projects.

If you're interested in this work as a formation attorney, board member, and/or fundraiser, let me know.

x-tech

"Exponential Technologies" was a term I first heard from Peter Diamandis of Singularity University and XPRIZE fame... probably in his book BOLD. Peter is a fascinating fellow. What most people don't realize is that Peter is almost single-handedly responsible for starting the business of Space, including SpaceX, Blue Origin, and Virgin Galactic, when he started Students for the Exploration and Development of Space at MIT.

Some examples of "x-tech" are: artificial intelligence, robotics, 3D printing, drones, biotechnology, quantum computing, nanotechnology, and The Internet.

That first one — AI — is the hot topic right now, with a massive amount of creative energy driving it in all sorts of directions. I invite other thought leaders into this space.

design

As I say, I "identify" — not as a he/him/they — as designer. A multifarious designer. Of particular interest are:

• Industrial/Product Design and Development — a lot of this applies to nvntr and Designfluence
• Sustainable Materials in Product and Package Design — I evangelize for new materials that mitigate plastic pollution
• How Nature Designs — biomimicry, green chemistry, and the Circular Economy which was popularized and codified by Cradle to Cradle and its authors Bill McDonough and Michael Braungart
• Typography and Calligraphy — in and out of the digital world... I taught myself calligraphy, inspired by illuminated manuscripts when I lived in Germany
• System and Ecosystem Design — ideas, products, and projects don't live by themselves... they're part of systems and ecosystems and have an impact on those systems as a result

haiku

Not sure when I started writing haiku, but it quickly developed into my favorite form. I find it challenging to write, but fun, a syllabic puzzle... and I like puzzles! I have no "formal" training in the art of haiku, but have been called "haiku master" by some having produced a fair body of work, with some in publication.

I mentioned above that my word-haiku blog achieved 324 consecutive entries... and took up a lot of time! One fine day I dreamed the idea of starting with the Word of the Day and creating a haiku around that word, defining it, adding an appropriate image and comments. On my "word-haiku" site you can find additional links to additional haiku collections.

I'm working on a book of haiku — coffee table style — titled The Hai Ching: 64 Words to Live By, melding haiku and the I Ching with images that I'm creating with MidJourney's AI imaging tool.

Dalan

If I have a nickname, it's "Dalan." Nobody I know actually uses it... I'm usually "David," sometimes "Dave." I thought I'd put it to use as a title for my miscellaneous musings, and as a place to write about things that don't fit my main topics.

We'll see what happens.

That's it for the intro. I hope you find good things here and subscribe so I'm motivated that much more!