In an uncertain global economic environment, central banks have been purchasing gold.

Some have argued that euro zone members should use gold as collateral for sovereign debt issuance to keep bond yields low.

The World Gold Council estimates that central banks will have purchased 500 tons of gold in 2012, up from 465 tons last year. And gold prices have also been supported by central bank gold purchases.

Global gold reserves total 31,491 tons as of December 2012. We highlighted the ten countries with the biggest official gold holdings as reported by the World Gold Council.  We also included the percent of foreign reserves they possess in gold.

Note: CBGA refers to the Central Bank Gold Agreements. The first Agreement (CBGA 1) ran from September 27, 1999 to September 26, 2004.  The second Agreement (CBGA 2) ran from September 27, 2004 to September 26, 2009. The third Agreement (CBGA 3) will run for five years from September 2009.

#10 India

Official gold holdings:
557.7 tonnes

Percent of foreign reserves in gold:
10.3 percent

The Reserve Bank of India is known to buy IMF gold and considers gold to be a safe investment, but rarely comments on its plans to buy gold.

Source: World Gold Council

#9 Netherlands

Official gold holdings:
612.5 tonnes

Percent of foreign reserves in gold:
60.3 percent

Back in 1999, the Netherlands announced under the Central Bank Gold Agreement (CBGA1) that it would sell 300 tonnes of gold during the five years, but only managed to sell 235 tonnes.

Under CBGA2 (2004/2005 –'08/'09) it said it would sell a total of 165 tones (which included the 65 tonnes left over from CBGA1), and it announced no sales under CBGA3 (from 2008/2009 – '13/'14).

Source: World Gold Council

#8 Japan

Official gold holdings:
765.2 tonnes

Percent of foreign reserves in gold:
3.3 percent

Japan's gold reserves were at just 6 tonnes in 1950, and its central bank registered its first serious jump in gold holdings in 1959, with purchases increasing by 169 tonnes from the previous year.

In 2011, the Bank of Japan sold gold to pump ¥20 trillion into the economy to calm investors after the tsunami and nuclear disaster.

Source: World Gold Council

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2012 turned out to be a very good year for investors who bet on new enterprise-tech companies.

This year, companies such as Splunk, Palo Alto Networks, and Workday had extremely successful opening days in spite of the Facebook IPO fiasco—or maybe because of it, as investors veered away from consumer Web plays.

ServiceNow, for instance, was one of the first technology companies to go public after Facebook. It even had the same banker, Morgan Stanley. But its debut couldn't have been more different: It popped big on Day One, soaring nearly 37 percent.

How have these tech darlings done since their first day? We looked at 11 stocks and found they were collectively up by 28% over their initial prices. Four of them have market caps well over $2 billion. 

This is an encouraging sign for the enterprise market in 2013.

Epam Systems (EPAM): Sitting pretty with mobile apps

Date of IPO: February 8
IPO price: $12
Shares offered: 6 million

Epam helps enterprises outsource mobile- and cloud-app development to consultants, mostly from Central and Eastern Europe.  It grew up serving software developers, but now every businesses needs custom apps, putting Epam in a prime position.

Brightcove (BCOV): Still betting on HTML5

Date of IPO:  February 17
IPO price:  $11
Shares offered: 5 million

Brightcove is like a YouTube for businesses, letting them host video in customized players. It also makes tools for mobile-app development. Its shares soared on opening day, but it was later hurt when Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg talked trash about a key Web technology Brightcove favors for mobile apps known as HTML5. In June, Brightcove introduced a new HTML5 platform for mobile apps.

Demandware (DWRE): Buying the e-commerce trend

Date of IPO: March 15
IPO price: $16
Shares offered: 5.5 million

Demandware's cloud service hosts e-commerce sites. Its IPO popped on Day One, riding the wave of pre-Facebook IPO excitement, when Wall Street was eager for tech stocks. Its founder, Stephan Schambach, had previously started Intershop, another successful e-commerce company.

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In the age of social networks and oversharing will there ever be an opportunity to keep our information private?

As the internet grows the short answer to that question may be "no," but luckily there are people like Nico Sell and Dr. Robert Statica who have created an incredible app called Wickr.

Wickr's mission is to provide a free and easy way for anyone to Leave No Trace. Wickr messages are private, encrypted and clear of metadata.

Click here to jump straight to our walkthrough of Wickr >

Wickr quadruple encrypts your messages whether they are pictures, video, voice, or text. The self-funded, messaging app offers military-grade encryption and self-destruct capabilities.

Wickr was designed to protect sources in hostile zones but has now pivoted into a consumer app. Before Wickr it took an entire IT department to help people talk to sources without getting them killed.

Wickr is ad free, and has anticipated vulnerabilities that leave no trace for advertisers, corporations, or online hackers to track personal data. No ads, no fee, and fewer security concerns.

Sell and Dr. Statica have years of experience with privacy and security, in fact Sell has started over 20 security companies over the past two decades. Sell also helped to run DEF CON, a yearly hacking conference and both she and Dr. Statica believe that communications should be untraceable by default.

The following is a lightly edited conversation we had with Nico Sell and Dr. Robert Statica.

Business Insider: What inspired you guys to come up with an app like this, why do you think its necessary?

Nico Sell: We believe that private communication is a universal human right and is extremely important in a free society. We're here to defend that human right. We have users in over 100 countries around the world and I think when we look right now there is a huge messaging war going on between Apple, Google, and Facebook, all trying to own digital human interaction. These companies are offering 4 features that we're gonna flip on its head.

First, the information you give to these companies is traceable, it lives forever, receipt controlled, and shared with strangers. I don't have anything to hide and that's fine but do you want control over the messages you're sharing with others?  Everyone says yes to that, but at the big level what we're offering is communication that is untraceable, has a time limit by default, and not shared with strangers.

BI: So theoretically if I use this app, there is no way the phone carrier could trace back what I sent?

NS: No one else can see the message except the person you sent it to and on the device you sent it. So even if someone was to try to intercept there's nothing they can do with it. It doesn't touch servers except your phone. We've taken standard encryption and found a really great way to make it easier to use.

DS: First of all, the account that you create is anonymous to Wicker. It is cryptographically encrypted. If I was to look at the database I can't find anything close to Kevin because everything is camouflaged in a way the naked eye can't see. There are no encryption keys for your message, it bounces off the server. Even if someone steals your password or message they can't decrypt on another device because the hardware information doesn't match. We generate our own hardware IDs that scramble and hash hardware information. 

Information is anonymous to everybody, including the company. We just know there are two accounts that are created.

We also don't store any information, we don't know who's talking to who and we don't know who you are. There is no information that will help anyone.

BI: Who do you see as your competition?

NS: I would say Snapchat, What'sApp, and also Kik at this point. In the future we're going after unified messaging.

Wickr is 100 times better than Snapchat because you can send longer messages, up to 6 days, it's secure, anonymous, and private. Much more full featured.

Next year our competition will be more like Skype. What Robert has built is a protocol, one day people will be able to integrate our technology into other apps.  

One of the biggest differentials we consider is our privacy policy. That's the biggest difference between us and other companies. All of these other apps collect your private information and they are storing it and likely selling it, compare our privacy compared to Skype and other services and you'll se the difference.

BI: What are your favorite features of Wickr?

NS: The fact that we clear metadata from all the pictures you send, consumers have no idea that they are leaving these trails and those location trails are the most dangerous. That's when we start talking about stalkers and thieves. 

DS: Another important feature is that in a traditional encryption program you have to share keys and password, putting a password on a pdf file, we eliminated that from the equation. We made it easy to use and transparent for the user, type a message and press send and we take it from there.

Besides clearing the metadata like Nico mentioned we have a secure file shredder which pretty much takes care of everything else.  

Any thing deleted from your phone via the app is shredded to pieces, if you delete a SMS and somebody steals your phone they will be able to recover it, but if you're using Wickr, we shred all those files and leave no traces. It's also a good feature to use before you sell your phone instead of resetting to factory defaults if you use this shredder you'll be able to make sure none can recover. That's another great feature that nobody has.

Wickr is free and available via the App Store.

When you first fire up the app you'll be asked to let it send you notifications, this is so you can receive messages other Wickr users send you.

Since this is your first time using Wickr, you'll want to tap New Account.

When setting up an account its important to keep in mind that it may take a few minutes. You can't leave the app during the set up process otherwise you'll have to start over.

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Advertising agencies constantly stress the importance of a social media presence to their clients.

Whether it be Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or Pinterest, agencies hope their clients realize the strong potential of these important resources.

We took a look at the Twitter accounts of the top ad agencies in the world -- ranked by revenue, per Ad Age -- to see if they practice what they preach. Do they use social media effectively? Do they communicate with followers in a meaningful way?

It turns out, some agencies want their clients to do as they say, not as they do. Many agencies let weeks go by between tweets. Think about that: How can an agency recommend an "always on" social media campaign if it can't handle its own Twitter account?

We ranked agencies by total number of followers. Because large agencies have an advantage over smaller ones in terms of collecting followers, we then gave each shop a separate, subjective percentage score based on how useful and interesting their Twitter stream was.

Zimmerman Advertising (@ZimmermanAdv) Score 5

Followers: 434

Sample tweet: "Black Friday is no longer about waiting in line, it’s about going online. Over $1 billion spent on Black Friday this yr http://bit.ly/Re1GEG"

Zimmerman, part of Omnicom, has a very small follower base compared to the other agencies on our list. The few hundred that subscribe to its page receive information about the advertising world, but not about Zimmerman itself.

Lowe and Partners Worldwide (@LoweandPartners) Score 7

Followers: 1,314

Sample tweet: "Move over, in-flight movies: YouTube content coming to Virgin America flights http://ow.ly/fXIrC"

Lowe offers its followers a good balance of company updates, industry news, and "behind-the-scenes" tweets that give insights of what is going on in the Lowe's office. For example, one tweet mentioned the company's holiday Christmas party.

Team One (@TeamOneUSA) Score 5

Followers: 2,047

Sample tweet: "It's almost like we were there... Some of the best #2012Olympics moments showcased in our hallways http://instagr.am/p/RyRriiQDSD/"

Team One, part of Publicis, gives its followers a good sense of what it's like behind-the-scenes in their office, which most of the other agencies on our list do not do. But while they excel in this aspect, they fall behind in providing information about their work and the ad world in general.

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Electricity is such an important element of modern life and society, but few people understand how it works and what it does. Ayah Bdeir, LittleBits founder and CEO, is trying to change that.

LittleBits may just look like a company selling electronic gewgaws, but it's all part of a big idea: to get people to understand basic electronics and use them in creative ways.

Bdeir's company makes small, connectible electronic building blocks. They look a bit like Legos—and like Legos, they appeal to both children and adults. The blocks snap together and can be used to create little electric grids to power small light-emitting diodes and run a small motor or engine—or just about anything your imagination can power up.

As a result, LittleBits has an active and growing online community that shares different design ideas. 

We stopped by the company's offices in Manhattan to see how they do it.

LittleBits is in a cozy building near New York University, an appropriate location for a place all about learning.

The office has a warm feel. There are fun decorations all over, like this LittleBits logo hanging from the ceiling.

While friendly and fun, this is definitely a place of work.

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2010 Dodge Challenger

Repair cost for 2011-2012: $64.17  

Overall reliability rank out of 100: 12

Common repair problems: Inspect for loose fuel cap and tighten or replace as necessary ($5-$15 for a new cap); replace engine coolant temperature sensor (average repair cost: $98); and inspect for leak at exhaust pipe and repair as necessary (average repair cost: $93).

2010 Subaru Outback

Repair cost for 2011-2012: $110.43.

Overall rank: 10 

Common repair problems: Inspect for faulty wiring and repair as necessary (average repair cost: $81); inspect for loose fuel cap and tighten or replace as necessary ($5-$15 to replace); and adjust tire pressure and reset tire pressure sensor(s) (average repair cost: $107).

2010 Subaru Forester

Repair cost for 2011-2012: $116.33

Overall rank: 6

Common repair problems: Inspect for loose fuel cap and tighten or replace as necessary; replace evaporative emissions canister and vent control valve (average repair cost: $478.59); and replace fuel pressure sensor (average repair cost: $185).

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David Barrett, the cofounder and CEO of Expensify, offshored his entire team in October.

That doesn't mean he replaced them with cheap workers.

Instead, he flew 20 colleagues at the online expense-reporting startup to Thailand for an entire month so they could hang out together on the beach.

He's been doing this for years, and he says "there's no better way to gel a team."

"We go for a whole month, to somewhere that has the holy trinity of power, Internet, and beach," Barrett says. "We look for somewhere inexpensive." Last year, it was Vietnam. This year, it was Railay Beach in southern Thailand.

Expensify had six new employees start in September, right before the trip. At most companies, they'd still be ramping up, but at Expensify, they've had a once-in-a-lifetime experience with their new colleagues already.

Far from an all-expenses-paid vacation, this was a working trip for everyone. People kept up on their normal job duties and participated in long-range planning meetings as well.

Expensify covered flights and some meals. it already buys employees lunch in San Francisco, where the company's based 11 months out of the year, so that wasn't an additional expense. Employees covered their own lodging expenses. (Some rented out their homes while they were away to defray the cost.)

All told, Barrett estimates, the trip cost the company $30,000. That's not a big hit on the company budget. Expensify, one of our top 10 startups of 2009, has raised $6.7 million, and Barrett forecasts it hitting profitability without any extra money, though he's thinking about raising a round to accelerate the company's expansion early next year.

The trip is optional, but almost every employee participates, Barrett says. (One new hire was in the middle of moving across the country and couldn't make it this year.) Some only do the middle two weeks of the trip, which is fine.

"We think this is the most productive month of the year," Barrett says. "You take them out of their time zone. They don't speak the language. It's this very inclusive environment. You have time for the conversations you never have otherwise. Our best ideas for the company come out of these trips."

The trip began in Bangkok. From left, lead designer Shawn Borton, software engineer Jason Kruse, and lead software engineer Matt McNamara ride a ferry across the fast-flowing Chao Phraya.

Barrett takes a break from watching a muay thai fight to reboot a server.

For travel, Barrett swears by his aging Sony PictureBook, on which he's installed a Linux operating system.

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Now that the holiday season has arrived, your company may be planning a party to celebrate the end of a hardworking year.

"People like to work with people they know so take this opportunity to let down your hair a little," Helene Wasserman, an attorney for Littler, an international firm focused exclusively on labor and employment laws, tells us.

Although you'll be hanging out with people you work with and there's a good chance alcohol will be involved, the holiday party is still a professional event.

According to Wasserman, it's not uncommon to get harassment claims around the holiday season. She blames it on the alcohol.

"The best way to survive is to remember that you're still at work and the rules still apply," Wasserman says. "If you're talking to your boss and a drink is in your hand, he's still your boss."

Alcohol or no alcohol, we compiled some tips from Wasserman and other experts to help you survive your office party — and keep your job. 

Don't even think about skipping the party.

While you work away all year, spending even more hours with your co-workers might not sound too fun, but blowing off an office soiree is not the best choice to make.

To show that you're committed to the company, make sure you show up for at least 30 minutes. Always assume company gatherings are "must attend" events.

.

...But also don't show up on time.

Even if the party takes place at the office, Drew Magary at GQ advises to go home after work, then come back. If you can't do that, just continue working until you see that 75 percent of your colleagues have turned on their holiday mode. Magary writes: 

"You know who shows up on time? That one creepy lady who works in human resources who you never talk to. Now it's just you two, standing there while the DJ spins 'Gangnam Style.' "

Don't forget that company's dress, behavior and harassment policies still apply — even if its off-site.

Source: U.S. Department of Labor

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Last Tuesday, Jeff Gundlach unveiled his latest trade: Go short the Japanese yen and long the Japanese stock market.

One week in, it's already in the money.

Here's a one week look at the Japanese yen against the dollar (the short) via Bloomberg:

And here's the Nikkei (the long) via Bloomberg:

Tonight, the yen is getting smashed and the Nikkei is surging in the wake of a landslide election win for Shinzo Abe, who ran on the platform that he would push more easy monetary policy in an effort to stimulate the economy.

During last week's webcast to DoubleLine Funds clients, Gundlach argued that Japan would pursue aggressive currency debasement, which would mean inflation.

He provided 9 charts that supported his view on this trade.

Japan has an incredibly heavy debt load

The budget balance is around -7.6% of 2012 GDP

Meanwhile, the birthrate has been falling and the population is aging

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Carson Block, the young hotshot short-seller who runs Muddy Waters Research, has become famous (or infamous) for shorting Chinese companies. He was a virtual unknown in Wall Street circles until his 2010 report on Orient Paper crippled the stock’s value.

Due to Carson's uncanny accuracy in developing targets to short, experts in the industry think he's much better than the SEC at catching fraudsters in the act. James Rickards, senior managing director of Tangent Capital Partners, has declared, “Block is in the intelligence business where you gather tidbits of information, you fuse them together, connect the dots and then you draw a conclusion. The SEC is much more like cops. First the crime is committed, and then they go to solve the crime. But Block is looking at the crime in progress.”

An ex-colleague describes Block as “an arrogant guy with an independent and somewhat restless streak,” and Carson admits to having “discipline problems” from an early age.

When researching potential targets, he’s been known to misrepresent himself, pretending to be a potential customer.

But a brash personality and questionable tactics haven’t held Carson back. He’s continued his take downs in China, attributing it to his ability to see “through appearances to a Chinese company’s true worth.”

Carson’s road to the top has had plenty of speed bumps. His early business ventures ended in failure, and he’s shuffled around at least four different jobs before opening Muddy Waters.

He's done it all in  a shor 36 years, so there are plenty of chapters to be written in the Carson Block story. We'll be watching.

Carson was born in the small town of Summit, New Jersey

Summit has a population just over 20,000. Carson's father, Bill, ran a equity research firm called W.A.B. Capital (where Carson would later work), while his mother works as a real estate agent.

Source: W.A.B. Capital

In high school, Carson was more interested in partying than studying

Block graduated with a 1.4 GPA in his senior year, and says of his time at school, “I ranked either first or second in my senior year in terms of parties that I hosted. The police became a regular presence outside my father’s place.”

Source: CNBC

Block first traveled to Asia at the age of 15

An exchange program gave Block the opportunity to immerse himself in Asian culture by spending the summer of 1991 in Toyama, Japan.

Source: CNBC

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What a year it's been.

In 2012, the United States saw Hurricane Sandy ravage the East Coast and a divisive presidential election that kept President Obama in office. London hosted the 2012 Summer Olympics while the rest of Europe has been struggling to preserve the euro. There have been explosive political revolutions around the world, including Russia and the Middle East. Meanwhile, mankind has gotten closer to space than ever before with a mobile science lab on Mars, the rise of commercial space flights, and a record-breaking skydive from space.

In the midst of all this, some incredible people have emerged.

From politics to sports, entertainment, finance, and more, people have done extraordinary things this year. These are the people who impressed us the most.

Felix Baumgartner

Austrian skydiver Felix Baumgartner set an aviation milestone on Oct. 14, when he jumped from more than 128,000 feet above Earth and became the first man to break the speed of sound in a free-fall.

The 43-year-old thrill-seeker topped out at 833.9 mph, or mach 1.24, before landing safely on the ground in New Mexico.

The mission, sponsored by Austrian energy drink maker Red Bull, was also a breakthrough for science. It delivered valuable information about an astronaut's chances for survival at extreme altitudes, which is important for future space travel.

Click here to read more about Felix Baumgartner's record-breaking plunge >

Chris Christie

Since declining multiple entreaties to run for the Republican Party nomination in 2012, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie has continued his rise to national political prominence.

Thanks to his expert handling of Hurricane Sandy aftermath, Christie's approval ratings have soared to unthinkable levels, defying odds in a deep-blue state to become New Jersey’s most popular governor ever.

Christie has already announced his intention to run for re-election in 2013. If his consideration as Mitt Romney’s potential running mate and his keynote speech at the Republican National Convention are any indication, he will likely play a major role in the GOP as 2016 rolls around. 

Click here to read more on Chris Christie's breakout year >

Hillary Clinton

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton had a remarkable year.

She traveled to 42 countries in 2012 alone, responding to crises in Syria, Libya, and North Korea, while navigating America's changing role in the Middle East. 

As she winds down her final year as Secretary of State, Clinton leaves the administration immensely more popular than she was when she started. Her approval ratings are the highest of her career, hovering around 70 percent. She even went viral this year, inspiring the popular Texts From Hillary meme.

While Clinton remains coy about her future political plans, polls shows that she would have a good shot at the White House, should she choose to run again in 2016.

Click here to see photos of Hillary Clinton's incredible year >

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Fresh clues about President Barack Obama's Cabinet reshuffle emerged this weekend, with new reports stating that the President has decided to nominate Sen. John Kerry (D-MA) to replace Hillary Clinton as Secretary of State. 

At least six Cabinet members are expected to depart over the next few month, leaving vacancies at several important posts, including Secretaries of State, Defense, and the Treasury.

According to insiders, Obama is expected to announce his new national security team — including his picks for Secretaries of State and Defense, and CIA Director — before Christmas, although the events in Newtown, Conn., have reportedly delayed any announcement until at least the end of this week. 

After that, the next step will be finding a replacement for Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner, who is expected to depart once a deal is reached on the fiscal cliff. And additional openings are expected at the top of the departments of Commerce, Energy, Transportation, and the Interior. 

Here's a breakdown of the top names on Obama's shortlist — and who we think he will choose to join his inner circle.

Former Sen. Chuck Hagel (R-NE)

Bloomberg reported Thursday that Hagel is at the top of Obama's shortlist to replace Leon Panetta as Secretary of Defense, and met with the President last week to discuss the position. According to the report, Hagel has passed the vetting test, and insiders say he is definitely the preferred pick over other contenders, including Deputy Defense Secretary Ashton Carter, Panetta's low-key No. 2.

Hagel, a Vietnam combat veteran, would be the second Republican to head the Pentagon under Obama, an attractive prospect for an administration that has struggled to find GOP allies. Hagel's familiarity with the inner workings of Congress will also make him an asset as the Pentagon grapples with pending budget cuts.

Hagel's political affiliation should make his confirmation relatively smooth, although his moderate foreign policy positions — and longstanding friendships with Obama and Biden — has put him at odds with some of his former colleagues. In particular, Hagel could run into problems over his often critical stance toward Israel, and for his past support for open, unconditional negotiations with Iran. 

Sen. John Kerry (D-MA)

Kerry emerged as the frontrunner for the Secretary of State post last week, with United Nations Amb. Susan Rice's abrupt decision to withdraw her name out of consideration for the job. According to weekend news reports, Obama has already decided to nominate Kerry, and will make the announcement sometime in the next few weeks.

Although Rice was initially the top contender, Kerry has always been the easiest choice to replace Clinton, who will step down soon. The Massachusetts Democrat is well-liked in the Senate, where he chairs the Foreign Relations Committee. Top Republicans, including Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) and Sen. John McCain (R-AZ), have basically guaranteed a painless confirmation. 

But Kerry's departure from the Senate will also cause problems for Democrats. The last thing the party wants is another special election in Massachusetts, especially if Republicans run outgoing Sen. Scott Brown. To add to the headache, Kerry's spot on the Foreign Relations Committee will likely go to Sen. Bob Menendez (D-N.J.), a combative Democrat who has been embroiled in several scandals this year.

White House Chief of Staff Jack Lew

Lew, a former White House budget director, is widely thought to be the frontrunner to replace Geithner at the Treasury Department. The personality conflicts and management problems with Obama's first economic team have been well-documented, so it makes sense that the President would want to put a trusted advisor at the helm this time around.

Moreover, Lew is a veteran Washington budget aide with a deep understanding of the tax and spending issues dominating the White House's dealings with Congress, qualities that would make the Treasury transition relatively seamless. 

There are a few reasons why Lew might not get the job, though. Reports have suggested that Lew's heavy-handed approach to the 2011 debt ceiling negotiations alienated Republicans and Democrats, and even rankled Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid. Nominating Lew would also mean Obama would have to find new chief of staff — his fourth in almost as many years. 

Still, Lew has definitely outpaced the other top contender for the Treasury post, former White House Chief of Staff Erskine Bowles, the co-chair of Obama's debt commission. While picking Bowles would send a strong signal about deficit reduction, Democrats are unlikely to go in for Bowles' plans for entitlement reform.

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In January, the cruise ship Costa Concordia struck a rock of the shore of Isola del Giglio, in the Mediterranean.

30 people on board the largest passenger wreck of all time lost their lives; two are still missing. Nearly a year later, the wreck is still sitting off the Italian coast, mostly submerged.

Because the Costa Concordia is in a nationally protected marine park and coral reef, it must be removed from the area before it can be dismantled, posing countless difficulties.

In a report on the efforts to remove the wreck, 60 Minutes' Leslie Stahl visited the site and recounted the remarkable salvage operation, which has a $400 million price tag.

Not only is it the riskiest, most complicated, and most expensive salvage plan ever undertaken, but no one is sure if it will work.

The ship weighs 60,000 tons and is filled with seawater.

It is sitting on two underwater mountain peaks. 65 percent of it is below the surface.

The wreck is an official crime scene.

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All year long, we write about founders, CEOs, and rock-star engineers. But it takes all kinds of people to make the magic that powers the tech we all use. It's time we tell their stories.

We asked our contacts—some of those much-sung power brokers and other insiders—to nominate people whose drive, passion for work, and accomplishments, not their rank or title, made a difference this year. We looked for people at companies small and large throughout the tech sector.

We think most of the people on this list will feel they shouldn't be on it. Supportive bosses and helpful colleagues, they'll say, ought to get the recognition instead. But their coworkers nominated them for just that reason—these unsung heroes are the least likely to grab the credit they deserve.

Do you know an unsung hero we should cover in 2013? Go ahead and nominate them through our online form.

Sara Sperling, for making Facebook a great place to work for everyone

Mark Zuckerberg talks a lot about how his social network enables people to have an authentic identity. Sperling helps make that a reality for Facebook's own employees, leading the company's diversity and inclusion efforts.

Thanks to her, 450 employees took part in this year's San Francisco Gay Pride Parade—up 50% from last year—and Facebook's new campus includes unisex bathrooms to help transgender employees feel comfortable. GLAAD, a media-watchdog group, gave the company an award this year for its diversity efforts, making it the first social network ever to get such an honor.

BJ Black, for making the cloud run smoothly at Barracuda Networks

A Linux generalist at the security-products company, Black works on behind-the-scenes infrastructure tools, like an automated ordering system that speeds new equipment to data centers. One colleague, Michael Kjellman, wrote in a LinkedIn endorsement, "I'll make this brief: When I get stuck on something, I go to BJ ... as does the entire company."

From that, Black may seem like a whiz kid, but by his own admission, he struggled in academia. It ended up taking him 16 years of on-and-off education, at three different schools, to get his bachelor's. But at San Jose State University, where he earned his degree in 2008, the computer-science department named him "Outstanding Graduating Senior of the Year."

Shiva Rajaraman, for making YouTube ubiquitous

The buzz is on Google+, but YouTube is the search giant's real social network. Rajaraman's big push this year has been to roll out a new, consistent look wherever videos play—on iPhones and iPads, Android devices, Xbox and Wii game consoles, and more.

That means YouTube, already ubiquitous on the Web, is now on 400 million devices. Rajaraman deserves a lot of the credit for that feat.

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2012 was a good year for Lena Dunham.

The 26-year-old 2008 Oberlin-alum went from little known independent filmmaker to a famous name after creating, directing and starring in HBO's hit show "Girls."

Since premiering in April, "Girls," which is executive produced by Judd Apatow, has won an Emmy and been nominated for two Golden Globes. The show premieres its second season January 13 and is already set for a third season after that.

Dunham, meanwhile, has signed a reported $3.5 million book deal tentatively titled “Not That Kind of Girl: A Young Woman Tells You What She’s Learned" in which she writes and illustrates essays about love, sex and life as a twenty-something living in New York.

From preschool in Brooklyn to red carpets in Hollywood, here's how Lena Dunham became the toast of 2012.

1986: Lena Dunham was born in New York City to parents Carroll Dunham, a painter, and Laurie Simmons, a successful photographer.

Dunham attended Saint Ann's School prestigious pre-K–12 day school in Brooklyn, New York, where she met friend and future co-star, Jemima Kirke.

2004-2008: Lena attends Oberlin College, where she studied creative writing. Dunham made three short films while in college.

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Foreclosure filings fell 3 percent from October to November.

Take a look at the top 10 states for foreclosure, and see if yours made the list.

Indiana

Indiana: 1 in every 684 housing units received a foreclosure filing.
Nationally: 1 in every 728
 
Average foreclosure sale price
 
Indiana: $84,161
Nationally: $213,402

Michigan

Michigan: 1 in every 621 housing units received a foreclosure filing.
Nationally: 1 in every 728
 
Average foreclosure sale price
 
Michigan: $80,179
Nationally: $213,402

Georgia

Georgia: 1 in every 494 housing units received a foreclosure filing.
Nationally: 1 in every 728
 
Average foreclosure sale price
 
Georgia: $94,677
Nationally: $213,402

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Professional athletes have it all: fame, money, success, good looks, and amazing bodies—basically everything you would want in a significant other.

You're in luck. Some of the sexiest female athletes alive are single.

Victoria Azarenka

Tennis

Age: 23

Fun fact: Azarenka is BFF with LMAFO's RedFoo.

Paula Creamer

Golf

Age: 26

Fun fact: Creamer sometimes dyes the bottom of her hair bright pink.

Lindsey Vonn

Skier

Age: 28

Fact fact: Vonn is good friends with Tim Tebow and it was once rumored that the two were dating.

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Facebook has released its list of the top-rated social games of 2012.

It generated the list using Facebook users' ratings of the games and measuring engagement throughout the year.

There are games from all genres represented, including some popular favorites as well as some sleeper hits we had never heard of before.

25. Pyramid Solitaire Saga

This game brings more than 90 levels of solitaire with an Egyptian theme right to your Facebook account.

Click here to check it out >

24. Ruby Blast Adventures

Nearly everyone loves gem-matching games, and Ruby Blast Adventures offers the same kind of fun as you play an archaelogist digging through bedrock.

Click here to check it out >

23. Bil ve Fethet

This game combines trivia questions and strategic territory control as you battle opponents for control of the map.

Click here to check it out >

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The bottom of the U.S. housing market seems to be behind us and mortgage rates are at record lows.

However, Americans are reluctant to buy a home due to shaky labor market conditions, weak wages, and the haunting memory of the recent housing bubble.

Rentals are popular and multi-family units are rising rapidly.

But is the dream of owning and living in a traditional home dead?

Homebuilder Lennar doesn't think so.

In 21 markets around the country, Lennar is offering its NextGen design to address the rising demand for homes that house more than one generation of adults.  Unlike most multi-family houses, the NextGen actually looks like a traditional home, and it's marketed as a "home within a home."  But it offers plenty of privacy for both sides of the family.

Adam McAbee of John Burns Real Estate Consulting walked through one of the houses.

And from what we can tell, the new normal isn't as depressing as we would've thought.

This particular development is in California's Santa Clarita Valley. This plan is sold out due to popularity

This house is just under 3,500 square feet

To the left of the garage is a private third car garage

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Following Friday's horrific Connecticut elementary school shooting, the debate over control has come to the forefront of Washington politics.

California Senator Dianne Feinstein said that she intended to introduce an assault weapons ban bill on the first day of the new Congress in January.

In Newtown, CT last night President Obama committed to using "whatever power [his] office holds" to prevent these shootings from happening again.

Smith & Wesson, the 160-year-old Massachusetts based arms producer, recentely gave a presentation that showed how America's hunger for guns has only been growing for at least the last two decades.  And based on their huge backlog of orders, barring any new restrictions, the outlook for the gun industry remains bullish.

We pulled 9 key slides from their 29 slide presentation.

Background checks, a proxy for gun demand, has shown year-over-year growth in almost every month for four years

Adjusted NICS = retabulated National Instant Criminal Background Check System checks

Source: Smith & Wesson

And those checks have been climbing for almost every category of firearm

Source: Smith & Wesson

After a lull, handgun sales have accelerated and are now as popular as long guns like rifles and shotguns

Source: Smith & Wesson

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