Drive-Thru Justice

Good morning, curious minds!

In today's edition, we take a look at the year's jaw-dropping tech winners, an art history lesson you won't want to miss, and more. Let’s settle in and explore.

The clarity you need for today, right here:

Remember when we reported on the shocking assassination of UnitedHealthcare’s CEO in Manhattan? There’s a major update: The suspect—now identified as a 26-year-old Ivy League graduate from a prominent Maryland real estate family—has been arrested. Not complex surveillance or fancy forensics were used to catch the alleged gunman, but a McDonald's employee spotted him and alerted authorities. Talk about an unexpected twist.

Luigi Mangione, the suspect, was carrying a 3D-printed "ghost gun" with a suppressor, along with a handwritten note expressing anger at "corporate America.” It's the same shooter who biked into Central Park and vanished days earlier. In addition to murder charges, Mangione faces forgery and firearms charges in Pennsylvania.

These new details paint a more complex picture than early speculation suggested. Instead of a faceless villain, we have a smart, privileged young man—valedictorian, Ivy League degrees—accused of a brazen, targeted attack. Sometimes, the truth is stranger than any guess we could have made.

Bonus: Here is a Visual Timeline of the UnitedHealthcare C.E.O. Shooting.

Beyond the Bounds

"Faster than a speeding supercomputer" is no longer just sci-fi talk. With Google's new chip, codenamed "Willow," quantum computing has moved from "maybe someday" to "brace yourselves."

Their "Willow" quantum chip solves a problem in about five minutes that would take a top-tier supercomputer ten septillion years to solve. These practical quantum machines could help design better medicines, enhance AI capabilities, and make our digital world quantum-proof.

Don’t expect quantum laptops next Christmas. They’re still not ready for your living room, but as far as previews go, Willow is a cosmic wink at what’s coming—no passport or time machine required.

Future Hit List

It’s that time of year again: PopSci's annual list of breakthroughs is out, putting the future in our hands. This year’s lineup is bigger and bolder: We're talking about innovations that could reshape routines, create new markets, and inspire imagination—sometimes literally.

Highlights cover gadgets, aerospace, home, health, and more, including Apple's mixed-reality Vision Pro headset, a carbon-free steelmaking technique, and a mind-blowing electric acoustic drum kit. (I'm in a tizzy)

Highlights include a simple blood test to screen for colon cancer, a no-needle EpiPen alternative, and a transparent OLED TV. After 37 years, the team still knows how to spot true game-changers.

Size Matters

If you’ve ever strolled through a museum’s classical wing and wondered why all those ripped, marble demigods are, well, modestly endowed, you’re not alone. According to sources, male perfection was defined differently^(NSFW?) in ancient Greece and Rome.

Larger “equipment”^(NSFW?) appeared on less esteemed figures—lusty satyrs, comical fools, and so-called “barbarians.” In a world where nudity symbolized purity and reason, a petite package implied a refined mind.

So, as today's tastes are wildly different from those in the age of Zeus, consider those tight-togaed heroes as ancient influences, showing that, in their day, size was all about subtle sophistication.

💡 Core Wisdom

📸 Lens to Life

Before and After: Notre Dame Cathedral's rebirth after fire photos.

🧮 Core Count: 32

Average football's number of leather panels.

🗓️ Flashback:

1520 - Martin Luther publicly burned a papal edict that ordered him to recant.

1799 - France was the first country to adopt the metric system.

1901 - The first Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to Jean Henri Dunant, founder of the Red Cross, and Frederic Passy, peace activist.

1936 - Edward VIII abdicates the British throne to marry American divorcee Wallis Simpson.

1964 - Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. receives the Nobel Peace Prize in Oslo, Norway.

2016 - Bob Dylan was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in Stockholm, Sweden, but he did not attend.

I'm glad we could get together here. Looking forward to seeing you tomorrow!

Fatih Taskiran