If you've been checking back in over, oh, I don't know, the last 5 years, you've noticed that IDFuel is on a bit of a break. And this hiatus is going to continue, not because IDFuel is finished, but because Dominic Muren, our editor, has focused his energy on some new projects. Dominic has always been interested in the idea of "sustainability" in design (5 years writing for Treehugger.com should attest to that), and trying to figure out exactly what that means: What do we want to sustain? Does design really want stasis or consistency? Can you really just replace wood with bamboo and call it sustainable?

The reality is, sustainability is a bit of a red herring. Dominic's new projects are meant to identify what designers mean by sustainable, and help them to achieve it. In order to do that, four different projects are in the works:

Humblefacture.com is a new blog dedicated to the theory behind these new developments in design. How can small-scale, local production be made competitive, and produce useful objects? What are the design considerations needed to make this a reality? What new technologies or techniques do designers need to integrate? Humblefacture is the place to find these answers, and join in the conversation.

The Humblefactory is Dominic's new design laboratory in Seattle Washington, where he is living, and teaching Industrial Design at the University of Washington. Opening the source of design is a major part of Humblefacture, and The Humblefactory is the place where Dominic is developing new materials and processes for release into the world via sites like Thingiverse.com

The Humblefactory YouTube Channel will collect video documentation of new materials and processes developed at the Humblefactory, as well as related videos which may be useful to designers trying to start their own local, small-scale production businesses.

The Humblefactory Floor is a new blog on Forbes.com which will cover some real-world examples of designers using high-information technologies to make more competitive products in cities, with local labor, and local materials.

Thanks for your support and attention over the years. We hope you will join us in this next phase of design exploration. Keep on burning.

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