Time flies when you're floating through the cold, inhospitable environs of space. It's been seven years since SpaceX first test-launched its powerful Falcon Heavy rocket. The Feb. 6, 2018 launch shot SpaceX founder Elon Musk's personal Tesla Roadster into space. The cherry-red sports car is still out there and even suffered from a case of mistaken identity recently when astronomers thought it might be an asteroid.A lot has happened since 2018. Musk turned Twitter into X. Tons of Starship development. Tons of Falcon 9 launches. Some more Falcon Heavy launches. Through it all, the red car and a mannequin named Starman have been in orbit around the sun.Roadster as near-Earth object Upgrade your inbox Get cnet insider From talking fridges to iPhones, our experts are here to help make the world a little less complicated. Musk's car was accidentally and briefly classified as an asteroid in 2025. The International Astronomical Union's Minor Planet Center issued a bulletin on Jan. 2 announcing 2018 CN41 as a newly discovered near-Earth object. NEOs include asteroids and comets.The MPC issued a follow-up notice on Jan. 3, saying, "The next day it was pointed out the orbit matches an artificial object 2018-017A, Falcon Heavy Upper stage with the Tesla roadster. The designation 2018 CN41 is being deleted and will be listed as omitted."New space objects are discovered all the time. It's important work. Astronomers aim to find and track asteroids that could potentially impact Earth. The MPC has cataloged over 37,500 NEOs with 190 so far in January alone. The Roadster slipped through the cracks for a flash in time. It shows how a human-made object can resemble a natural one. Find the Tesla RoadsterWhere exactly is the car now? There's a handy website that'll show you. Enlarge Image Whereisroadster.com tracks the location of Elon Musk's car in space. This map is from Jan. 28, 2025. The Roadster's path is in green. Ben Pearson/Whereisroadster.comWhereisroadster.com has been in operation since 2018, tracking the car on its journey through space. Creator Ben Pearson's site follows the car's location and calculates the distance it's traveled. As it nears its seventh anniversary in space, the roadster has "driven" around 3.5 trillion miles.It takes the car about 557 days to orbit around the sun. According to Pearson's work, the Tesla has exceeded its 36,000-mile warranty by over 96,330 times. The car famously pumped out David Bowie's song Space Oddity at the start of its journey. If the battery and speakers were still working, the on-board mannequin would have heard Bowie's masterpiece over 692,000 times. Talk about an earworm.Researchers had already looked into the chances of the car hitting Earth some day, and calculated the odds at just 6% within a million years. The team also worked out that the Roadster will make a close(ish) encounter with Earth in 2091, when it will come within a couple hundred thousand miles of the planet where it was made.Space is a harsh place, so it's likely the Roadster and its pilot are pretty roughed up at this point. What will be its ultimate fate? It could be doomed to wander the solar system, or perhaps humanity will go fetch it someday and put it in a museum. Anyone want a lightly used, well-traveled electric car?

The Federal Reserve is playing a game of "red light, green light" when it comes to cutting interest rates.On Wednesday, the Fed's decision-making body voted to leave its benchmark interest rate unchanged, pausing a rate-cutting path that was green-lighted in September.Does that mean average mortgage rates will be stuck near 7% for the short term? It all depends on one factor: the economy.Since starting his second term, President Donald Trump is moving forward on some of his policies around immigration and trade, which experts see as inflationary."Higher tariffs and restrictive immigration policies would increase costs for homebuyers at a time when affordability is near a four-decade low," said Matt Walsh, housing economist at Moody's Analytics.While Trump has repeatedly said he'll bring mortgage rates down to 3% (which would indicate the country is in a severe economic crisis), the president doesn't set rates on home loans. Even the Fed's policy decisions only indirectly impact the mortgage market.Regardless of the president's promise to lower borrowing costs, if inflation remains high, so will rates. Mortgage rates are primarily driven by movement in the bond market, specifically the 10-year Treasury yield. If inflation ends up cooling and the Fed resumes easing rates, Treasury yields and mortgage rates could drop, even in anticipation of the Fed's next move.Why is the Fed holding off on interest rate cuts?During his remarks following the Jan. 29 policy meeting, Fed Chair Jerome Powell said officials aren't in a hurry to lower interest rates and that the central bank is waiting to see if inflation eases. Standing pat allows the Fed to evaluate the impact of policies enacted by the Trump administration.It's logical to assume today's decision will result in an extended pause rather than a one-month skip. Matt Graham of Mortgage News Daily says that if inflation drops significantly over the next two months, the earliest possible rate cut would be in March. However, most investors are betting another rate reduction won't come until late spring or early summer.The Fed is already facing pressure from Trump, who recently demanded that interest rates drop, even though the president doesn't have the direct power to carry that out. Aside from voicing his opinions, the president's influence over the central bank is through naming appointees to fill vacancies on the Board of Governors.Though Trump could appoint Fed board members whose views on monetary policy align with his own, he can only make new appointments in early 2026. Will mortgage rates go down in time for spring homebuying season?Earlier last year, many economists optimistically predicted that interest rates would dip to 6% by late 2024. But since Trump's reelection and the Fed's shift away from rate cuts, the forecast for mortgage rates has been more pessimistic.Fannie Mae now expects average 30-year fixed mortgage rates to hold above 6.5% until early 2025. Meanwhile, Moody's Walsh predicts mortgage rates to average just below 7% throughout the year.Still, next month's economic data could always change the equation. "If the economic data starts to weaken, we may have already seen the peak rates for the year," said Logan Mohtashami, lead analyst at HousingWire.In CNET's 2025 mortgage forecast, Mohtashami noted that rates in the low-6% range are still possible in 2025. However, if Trump's policies recharge inflation or boost government debt deficits, this will be difficult to achieve, particularly in time for the spring homebuying season. A look at the 2025 housing marketToday's unaffordable housing market results from high mortgage rates, a long-standing housing shortage, expensive home prices and a loss of purchasing power due to inflation. Low housing inventory: A balanced housing market typically has five to six months of supply. Most markets today average around half that amount. According to Freddie Mac, we still have a shortage of around 3.7 million homes. Elevated mortgage rates:In early 2022, mortgage rates hit historic lows of around 3%. As inflation surged and the Fed hiked interest rates to tame it, mortgage rates more than doubled. In 2025, mortgage rates are still high, pricing millions of prospective buyers out of the housing market. Rate-lock effect:Since the majority of homeowners are locked into mortgage rates below 5%, they're reluctant to give up their low mortgage rates and have little incentive to list their homes for sale, leaving a dearth of resale inventory. High home prices:Although home buying demand has been limited in recent years, home prices remain high because of a lack of inventory. The median US home price was $427,179 in December, up 6.2% on an annual basis, according to Redfin. Steep inflation:Inflation means an increase in the cost of basic goods and services, reducing purchasing power. It also impacts mortgage rates: When inflation is high, lenders typically raise interest rates on consumer loans to ensure a profit. What homebuyers should know It's never a good idea to rush intobuying a homewithout knowing what you can afford, so establish a clear home-buying budget. Here's what experts recommend before purchasing a home: Build your credit score. Your credit score will help determine whether you qualify for a mortgage and at what interest rate. A credit score of 740 or higher will help you qualify for a lower rate. Save for a bigger down payment.A larger down payment allows you to take out a smaller mortgage and get a lower interest rate from your lender. If you can afford it, a down payment of at least 20% will also eliminate private mortgage insurance. Shop for mortgage lenders.Comparing loan offers from multiple mortgage lenders can help you negotiate a better rate. Experts recommend getting at least two to three loan estimates from different lenders. Consider renting.Choosing to rent or buy a home isn't just comparing monthly rent to a mortgage payment. Renting offers flexibility and lower upfront costs, but buying allows you to build wealth and have more control over your housing costs. Consider mortgage points.You can get a lower mortgage rate by buying mortgage points, with each point costing 1% of the total loan amount. One mortgage point equals a 0.25% decrease in your mortgage rate.More on today's housing market

Its one week into Elon Musks new role as chief cost-cutter for the Trump administration, but today, his side hustle as CEO of Tesla takes center stage with the release of the companys latest earnings report. During the fourth quarter of 2024, Tesla said it earned $2.3 billion in net income on $25.7 billion in revenue. That represents a 1.9 percent increase year over year compared to $25.2 billion in revenue in Q4 2023 and a 70 percent decrease in net income. (The companys net income in Q4 2023 includes a one-time non-cash tax benefit of $5.9 billion.)Analyst consensus predicted $27.26 billion in revenue, according to an average of estimates compiled by LSEG. For the full year, Tesla said it earned $7.1 billion in net income on $97.7 billion in revenue, a 6 percent decrease compared to 2023. Analyst consensus predicted $27.26 billion in revenueTesla said it sold $692 million in regulatory credits to other automakers in Q4, representing about a quarter of its profits. For the full year, it sold nearly $2.8 billion in credits, but Trump has said he wants to kill Californias emissions program that allows Tesla to rake in these credit sales.Tesla said it was making progress on bringing down the cost of goods sold (COGS) per vehicle to under $35,000, its lowest level yet. The company attributes this to raw material cost improvement. And it reiterated its intention to release a more affordable EV later this year. Meanwhile, deliveries of the refreshed Model Y, which starts at $61,630, are expected in the first quarter of this year.Plans for new vehicles, including more affordable models, remain on track for start of production in the first half of 2025, the company said. These vehicles will utilize aspects of the next generation platform as well as aspects of our current platforms and will be produced on the same manufacturing lines as our current vehicle line-up.Tesla shared some updates about its efforts to develop fully autonomous vehicles. Tesla said its drivers have now cumulatively driven over 3 billion miles on Full Self-Driving (Supervised) as of January. It also claims to have increased AI training compute by over 400% in 2024. And it says it remains on track to unlock an unsupervised FSD option for our customers and the Robotaxi business, which we expect to begin launching later this year in parts of the US. FSD is also coming to Europe and China, the company said.Tesla also said it was making progress on growing its manufacturing footprint. It shared new pictures of its newly completed Shanghai Megapack factory, as well as the upcoming Semi truck factory in Nevada, where production is slated to start later in 2025.Teslas Semi factory in Nevada. Screenshot: TeslaTeslas Megapack factory in Shanghai Screenshot: TeslaAnother interesting photo included in the earnings report was of the companys 50,000 GPU training cluster in Giga Texas called Cortex. According to the company:Cortex helped enable V13 of FSD (Supervised)1, which boasts major improvements in safety and comfort thanks to 4.2x increase in data, higher resolution video inputs, 2x reduction in photon-to-control latency and redesigned controller, among other enhancements. FSD (Supervised) can now start from park and perform unpark, reverse and park capabilities.Teslas 50,000 GPU training cluster in Giga Texas called Cortex Screenshot: TeslaIn terms of the Cybertruck, Tesla said it anticipates the polarizing EV will soon become eligible for the $7,500 federal EV tax credit, helping to improve affordability and access for even more customers. Of course, Trump has signaled his intention to eliminate the tax credit at some point in the future.Tesla included an interesting chart in its shareholder letter outlining the new technologies in the Cybertruck that will also appear in the companys future vehicles. Unsurprisingly the company does not appear to be interested in using the trucks stainless steel exoskeleton, which is incredibly difficult to manufacture, in any subsequent models.A chart of the Cybertrucks technologies that will carry over to future vehicles. Screenshot: TeslaThe earnings report comes on the heels of a disappointing production and delivery report, in which the company revealed that its sales had fallen year over year for the first time in over a decade. Despite the recent arrival of a refreshed Model Y in North America, Teslas lineup is increasingly looking a little stale, especially in the companys most important market of China, where domestic automakers continue to churn out new, cheap technologically impressive EVs. But it also comes as Musk continues to consolidate power within the US government, installing former employees to key positions and overseeing a potentially massive purge of federal workers. Musk is reportedly sleeping at the Department of Government Efficiency headquarters in Washington, DC a retread of his habits of sleeping on the floor of Teslas factory during the Model 3 production ramp.Investors have asked repeatedly about Teslas plan to release a more affordable model. Last year, the company abandoned its plan to build a more affordable Model 2 vehicle that was rumored to cost around $25,000. But after backlash from investors, Musk recommitted to it although its still unclear whether it will be an entirely new vehicle or simply a more affordable Model 3. Musk said the two-seat Cybercab would be available to buy for $30,000 starting in 2026, though production challenges loom.Musk and other Tesla executives will be on hand to answer questions during a webcast at 5:30PM ET.See More:

Hackers are exploiting outdated versions of WordPress and plugins to alter thousands of websites in an attempt to trick visitors to download and install malware, security researchers have found.The hacking campaign is still very much live, Simon Wijckmans, the founder and CEO of web security company c/side, which discovered the attacks, told TechCrunch on Tuesday.The hackers goal is to spread malware capable of stealing passwords and other personal information from both Windows and Mac users. Some of the hacked websites are ranked among the most popular sites on the internet, according to c/side.This is a widespread and very commercialized attack, Himanshu Anand, who wrote up the companys findings, told TechCrunch. Anand said the campaign is a spray and pay attack that aims to compromise anyone who visits these websites rather than targeting a specific person or group of people.When the hacked WordPress sites load in a users browser, the content quickly changes to display a fake Chrome browser update page, requesting the website visitor download and install an update in order to view the website, the researchers found. If a visitor accepts the update, the hacked website will prompt the visitor to download a specific malicious file masquerading as the update, depending on whether the visitor is on a Windows PC or a Mac.Wijckmans said that they alerted Automattic, the company that develops and distributes WordPress, about the hacking campaign and sent them the list of malicious domains, and that their contact at the company acknowledged receipt of their email.When reached by TechCrunch prior to publication, Megan Fox, a spokesperson for Automattic, did not comment.C/side said it identified over 10,000 websites that appear to have been compromised as part of this hacking campaign. Wijckmans said the company detected malicious scripts on several domains by crawling the internet, and performing a reverse DNS lookup, a technique to find domains and websites associated with a certain IP address, which revealed more domains hosting the malicious scripts.TechCrunch could not confirm the accuracy of c/sides figures, but we saw one hacked WordPress website that was still displaying the malicious content on Tuesday.From WordPress to infostealing malwareThe two types of malware that are being pushed on the malicious websites are known as Amos (or Amos Atomic Stealer), which targets macOS users; and SocGholish, which targets Windows users.In May 2023, cybersecurity firm SentinelOne published a report on Amos, classifying the malware as an infostealer, a type of malware designed to infect computers and steal as many usernames and passwords, session cookies, crypto wallets, and other sensitive data that allows the hackers to further break into the victims accounts and steal their digital currency. Cybersecurity firm Cyble reported at the time that it had found that hackers were selling access to the Amos malware on Telegram.Patrick Wardle, a macOS security expert and co-founder of Apple-focused cybersecurity startup DoubleYou, told TechCrunch that Amos is definitively the most prolific stealer on macOS, and was created with the malware-as-a-service business model, meaning the developers and owners of the malware sell it to the hackers who then deploy it.Wardle also noted that for someone to successfully install on macOS the malicious file found by c/side the user still has to then manually run it, and jump through a lot of hoops to bypass Apples built-in security.While this may not be the most advanced hacking campaign, given that the hackers rely on their targets to fall for the fake update page and then install the malware, this is a good reminder to update your Chrome browser through its in-built software update feature and to install only trusted apps on your personal devices.Password-stealing malware and the theft of credentials have been blamed for some of the biggest hacks and data breaches in history. In 2024, hackers mass-raided the accounts of corporate giants who hosted their sensitive data with cloud computing giant Snowflake by using passwords stolen from the computers of employees of Snowflakes customers.

Microsofts close partner and collaborator, OpenAI, might be suggesting that DeepSeek stole its IP and violated its terms of service. But Microsoft still wants DeepSeeks shiny new models on its cloud platform. Microsoft today announced that R1, DeepSeeks so-called reasoning model, is available on Azure AI Foundry service, Microsofts platform that brings together a number of AI services for enterprises under a single banner. In a blog post, Microsoft said that the version of R1 on Azure AI Foundry has undergone rigorous red teaming and safety evaluations, including automated assessments of model behavior and extensive security reviews to mitigate potential risks.In the near future, Microsoft said, customers will be able to use distilled flavors of R1 to run locally on Copilot+ PCs, Microsofts brand of Windows hardware that meets certain AI readiness requirements. As we continue expanding the model catalog in Azure AI Foundry, were excited to see how developers and enterprises leverage [] R1 to tackle real-world challenges and deliver transformative experiences, continued Microsoft in the post.The addition of R1 to Microsofts cloud services is a curious one, considering that Microsoft reportedly initiated a probe into DeepSeeks potential abuse of its and OpenAIs services. According to security researchers working for Microsoft, DeepSeek may have exfiltrated a large amount of data using OpenAIs API in the fall of 2024. Microsoft, which also happens to be OpenAIs largest shareholder, notified OpenAI of the suspicious activity, per Bloomberg. But R1 is the talk of the town, and Microsoft may have been persuaded to bring it into its cloud fold while it still holds allure. Unclear is whether Microsoft made any modifications to the model to improve its accuracy and combat its censorship. According to a test by information-reliability organization NewsGuard, R1 provides inaccurate answers or non-answers 83% of the time when asked about news-related topics. A separate test found that R1 refuses to answer 85% of prompts related to China, possibly a consequence of the government censorship to which AI models developed in the country are subject.

Its been 25 years since Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum launched its annual National Design Awards, an official project of the White House Millennium Council. The latest, 25th round of award winners was announced this week, a batch which reflects Smithsonian values of innovation and civic service, the institution said. As in past iterations, the ten recipients come from a range of design disciplines, including architecture, landscape architecture, fashion, communications, media, interiors, digital, and production design. Emerging designers and climate visionaries were also recognized.The 2025 National Design Award winners include: designers Kim Hastreiter, Nu Goteh, Matt Willey, Melitta Baumeister, Jules Sherman, and Little Wing Lee; climate activist group ilumiNACIN by Resilient Power Puerto Rico; David Godshall and Alain Peauroi of landscape architecture firm TERREMOTO; architect Michael Maltzan; and Ronald Rael and Virginia San Fratello of Emerging Objects.The 2025 National Design Award winners (Courtesy Cooper Hewitt)For its dedication to climate action, Resilient Power Puerto Rico (RPPR), a San Juanbased nonprofit, took home the award. The entity is led by its executive director Alejandra Castrodad-Rodrguez, in collaboration with Victor Cuadrado Landrau and Gustavo Castrodad Rodrguez. The group drives equitable and sustainable climate solutions while strengthening communities capacity to respond, rebuild and prosper after extreme climate events, the Smithsonian said.Nu Goteh is cofounder, managing partner, and creative director of Deem Journal. The jury applauded Goteh for his work at the forefront of an emerging generation of designers who integrate design, culture, art, community and social practice, awarding the professional in the emerging designer category. Matt Willey also comes from an editorial background, having worked at The New York Review of Books, Paris Review, and The Independent in various capacities, making his recognition in the communication design category well-deserved. Hastreiter, recognized as a design visionary, works as a cultural anthropologist. She is recognized for her art, zines, books, social media, and podcasts. Hastreiter helped cofound and worked as creative director at PAPER, a pop culture and fashion magazine. Meanwhile, Emerging Objects, Michael Maltzan, Little Wing Lee, and TERREMOTO were recognized for their contributions in architecture, landscape architecture, and interior design.These winners join a growing list of more than 200 National Design Award alumni. The selection committee was helmed by Smithsonian Design Museum director Maria Nicanor and Maurice Cox, chair of the 2025 National Design Awards jury.For Maria Nicanor, director of the museum, the award series is about emphasizing how design itself touches all aspects of our lives every single dayfrom the buildings we live, learn and work in, to the physical and digital systems that deliver our basic services, the clothes we wear, the spaces we gather in or the creativity and beauty that help us understand ourselves as a nationand yet designs undeniable influence can go unseen.The 2025 award winners will be recognized at a formal dinner on April 3 at James Burden Mansion.

This June, a group of architecture students from around the world have the chance to envision a greener future for one of Houstons most recognizable skyscrapersthe ExxonMobil Buildingas part of a unique biannual program called the aac Workshop. Held twice every year since 2008, these workshops bring together students and leading international practitioners for an intensive studio experience in a multicultural learning environment. They are the core offering of theaac Academy for Architectural Culture, a nonprofit research and education institute dedicated to addressing critical architectural issues and educating young architects. The aacAcademy for Architectural Cultureis supported by thegmp Foundation, a mission-driven organization focused on supporting architecture students and established by global architecture firmgmp Architects(von Gerkan, Marg and Partners Architects).Applications to the month-long program are open through February 10 for current architecture students and recent graduates. Details, including on extensive scholarships, can be found here.(Courtesy aac Workshop)For the summer 2025 iteration, running June 2 to 27 and culminating in a public design exhibition, participants will create feasible design proposals to transform the ExxonMobil Buildingan icon of fossil fuel monopoly originally built in 1963toward a carbon-free community. Featuring advisory input and mentorship from gmp executive partner Stephan Schtz, architect Charles Renfro (partner at Diller Scofidio + Renfro) among other experts, this years program is only the second aac Workshop to focus on a U.S. site and takes participants to Houston, and Hamburg, Germany over the monthlong study period. It is organized by the aac in collaboration with the Rice University School of Architecture. As we face an increasingly urgent climate crisis, the future of the built environment depends on the concept ofumbau, or continuously transforming existing structuresand for todays emerging generation of architects, this work will be the crux of professional practice, said gmps Schtz. With the academy teams guidance, young designers are empowered to innovate, explore their creativity, learn from experienced mentors, and grow their potential.About the aac Academy for Architectural Culture (aac)The aac Academy for Architectural Culture is a private, non-profit organization, located in Hamburg, Germany and founded by von Gerkan, Marg and Partners Architects (gmp). With research studies and intensive courses held throughout the year, the aac is dedicated to finding solutions to relevant architectural issues and the further education of young architects from different cultures. Workshops bring together young architecture students and graduates from all over the world in order to develop solutions for future-relevant architectural tasks together. The participants are constantly supported by partners from the architecture office gmp and tutors from architectural practice. Well-known architects and experts contribute their knowledge in lectures and guest critiques.About gmpFounded in 1965, von Gerkan, Marg and Partners Architects (gmp) is an architectural practice with branches worldwide. With a generalist approach and more than 50 years of experience, gmp completes projects in dialogue with clients and participating planning disciplines, at all scales and cultural contexts, covering all design phases and working on all continents. The range of projects extends from single-family residences to high-rise buildings, from stadiums to concert halls, from office buildings to bridges, and from door hardware to urban planning. With holistic sustainability in mind, gmp aims to create new and refurbished architecture that is long-lasting and goes beyond temporary fashions, taking into account the global challenges and issues of urbanization, digitalization, and mobility. In the firms designs, gmp remains committed to climate-aware construction in accordance with certified standards and to building in existing contexts.More athttps://gmp.de/en/

Rebecca Louise Law, Calyx (2023). Image courtesy of the artistIn London, an Enormous Exhibition of 500+ Works Roots Out the Creative Seeds of FlowersJanuary 29, 2025Grace EbertIn nature, flowers serve as an essential component of the reproduction process. But for humans, scented blooms are ripe with myriad meanings and symbolism that transcend their biological functions.During Victorian times, offering a bouquet to someone with your right hand indicated a non-verbal yes, while a yellow carnation would reject an admirer. Similarly in art history, wilting flowers rendered as a momento mori remind us of deaths inevitability, and for van Gogh, sunflowers were the perfect stand-in for gratitude.Aime Hoving, Compost (2019). Image Aimee Hoving, flowers by Brigitte Gentis van Dam MerrettA massive exhibition opening next month at Saatchi Gallery cultivates a vast repertoire of works that explores how blooms have become an omnipresent entity in human life and creativity. Flowers: Flora in Contemporary Art and Culture brings together more than 500 photographs, installations, sculptures, archival pieces, and other objects to create a rich landscape spanning millennia.Anchoring the exhibition is an expansive and immersive work of 100,000-plus dried flowers by Rebecca Louise Law. Smaller pieces include Xuebing Dus ethereal photos of flowers in natural light, VOYDERs streaky steam-laden compositions, and lush, vibrant gardens by Faye Bridgewater.Opening in time to usher in spring in London, Flowers runs from February 12 to May 5.VOYDER, In Love with the Idea of You (2024). Image courtesy of the artistKasia Wozniak, Anemoia #7. Image courtesy of the artistSandra Kantanen, Still Life (Flowers I). Image courtesy the artist and Purdy Hicks GalleryXuebing Du, Mother of Pearl (2018). Image courtesy of the artistCarmen Mitrotta, Geometric Leaves. Image courtesy the artistFaye Bridgewater, En Masse (2025). Image courtesy of the artistAnn von Freyburg, Floral Arrangement 1 (After Jan van Huysum, Still Life). Image courtesy of the artistNext article

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