Best Technology Posts of 2020

10. A Gaming Company’s Office Embraces an Anti-Tech Atmosphere
Seattle-based gaming design and fabrications company Analogue’s newly opened Asia headquarters showcases a retro-modern theme within their Causeway Bay, Hong Kong workspace – a tastefully “anti-tech” atmosphere for a team dedicated to (re)creating homage gaming systems.

9. The Rotofarm Is a NASA-Inspired, Sculptural Hydroponic System
Are you amongst the new “crop” of those interested in growing your own fresh herbs and vegetables from home right now? Most leafy greens, herbs, microgreens/sprouts, edible flowers  – and yes, cannabis – can be grown indoors throughout the year with the right set-up balancing amounts of light and water, which is exactly what the Rotofarm indoor hydroponic gardening system aims to deliver in a decor-friendly form factor suitable for open display in the kitchen.

8. The Hyundai Prophecy EV Foretells of a Sensuously Sporty Future
A new electric concept from Hyundai Motor Company arrived as no significant surprise, joining numerous other concept vehicles portending an electrified future promising to eclipse the combustion engine era. But we were unsure whether anyone prophesied the Prophecy EV would arrive sans steering wheel.

7. AeroLyze Breath Glucometer Wins the 2020 US James Dyson Award
More than 1 in 3 Americans – totaling about 88 million – are prediabetic. Unfortunately the majority of that group is unaware of their borderline condition, a missed opportunity to steer a considerable amount of that figure from developing type 2 diabetes, heart disease and stroke. Designer Thipok Poom Cholsaipant’s’s AeroLyze aims to simplify testing with the introduction of a small user-friendly and app-connected device designed to test glucose levels without requiring the finger-pricking traditionally needed in testing for diabetes.

6. Airstream’s New “Comfort White” Travels In Style
Airstream owners are a passionate and aesthete bunch, with numerous examples of trailer owners taking things into their own hands and modernizing the interiors of their favorite trailers to their tastes and specifications. The trailer manufacturer is fully aware of the desires of their customer base, and in turn have announced an all-new design-forward interior décor for its flagship 2020 Classic Travel Trailer line catering to clientele who want to travel in style.

5. Teenage Engineering’s 3D Printables Transform IKEA Speakers Into Something Cool
IKEA’s spirited Frekvens collection designed in cooperation with Stockholm-based audio geeks Teenage Engineering was already unlike anything out there in the consumer audio category: a limited-edition selection of modular Bluetooth-enabled speakers offering a playful reinterpretation of the boombox in various forms, designed to customize with a selection of add-on components – speakers, lighting, and accessories. Teenage Engineering couldn’t leave well enough alone, and are now offering thirteen additional customization accessories to 3D print gratis, adding an extra level of the practical and occasionally wonderfully weird to the IKEA speaker line.

4. Former Apple Engineer Designs Futuristic Kinetic Motion Cannabis Water Pipe
With 11 years experience as an Apple senior technical specialist, Tracey Huston’s background primarily revolved around solving a multitude of challenges within the realm of the modern and digital, a background not typically associated with reengineering the age-old pastime of smoking. Yet, Huston applied a similar dogged attention to detail to develop Stündenglass, a curious and captivating device delivering smooth and vaporous draws with an hourglass flip.

3. 10 Minimalist Modern Zoom Backdrops for Virtual Meetings
Unusual times have resulted in unusual measures, including the proclivity for work teams to continue having to jump onto Zoom virtual video meetings with daily regularity. Previous professional decorum required an orderly and well-illuminated home office as a backdrop, but now those bounds have been stretched to permit some level of creative license. We found some new modernist interiors from the Design Milk archives to inject some aesthetic variety without introducing unnecessary distractions, so if you’re looking for a modern Zoom background, we shared 10 for you to choose from.

2. The Moon Coffee Maker Drips With Caffeine and Cuteness
We’re coffee lovers which partially explains our fascination with the Moon Coffee Maker by Israeli designer Roee Ben Yehuda, an espresso maker reimagined with a friendlier steampunk-meets-kawaii aesthetic, resulting in an appliance intended to present a less intimidating front face than the complexities of a traditional espresso machine.

And the most popular technology post in 2020 is…

1. The Design of the SpaceX Spacesuit Explained
The successful launch of SpaceX’s Falcon 9 reorbital rocket system carrying the Crew Dragon to the International Space Station was historic in successfully sending NASA astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley within a privately developed spacecraft. The mission also revealed the next generation of astronautical wear, the SpaceX spacesuit.

Caroline Williamson is Editor-in-Chief of Design Milk. She has a BFA in photography from SCAD and can usually be found searching for vintage wares, doing New York Times crossword puzzles in pen, or reworking playlists on Spotify.

You can follow Caroline Williamson on Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, and Linkedin. Read all of Caroline Williamson's posts.