Hello again, and welcome back to Five Things Tech!

Quantum computing is poised to become the next technological leap, much like mobile tech’s “sudden but inevitable” arrival after years of dry hype. Business leaders everywhere are scrambling to become “quantum curious,” with China leading the patent race and everyone else rushing to avoid missing out on the next big disruption. But the reality is still full of uncertainty, timelines are fuzzy, and the momentum is more about not looking foolish when quantum finally matters—think less jetpacks, more cautious PowerPoint slides.

Beyond quantum, Ford’s brave attempt at Lego-ifying electric vehicle assembly is a necessary reboot, even if the Chinese beat them to it by decades. Meanwhile, the sci-fi idea of solar panels in space could soon beam clean, reliable power to Europe and eat land renewables’ lunch, if only the pace could match the ambition. And in a world of mass-produced, AI-churned software, design is now the real differentiator—saving us from a tsunami of ugly, clunky apps. Beautiful design might just become rarer (and more valuable) than functional code.

And on a personal note: Friday a week ago we were supposed to get fiber at home, but the tech people left without doing something. They were supposed to do come back on Wednesday and do some prelimary stuff and then install evertything on Friday. Instead, they should up on Friday, did some stuff and placed a new outlet on our wall before telling us that nobody did anything on Wednesday and that they’ll be back. And I thought tech is easy!

Enjoy! ...