People can't stop talking about America's potential to develop its shale oil and gas.

These are liquid crude hydrocarbons found deep within specialized rock formations.

But it's not our first time shale has shaken us up.

In the late '70s and early '80s, the U.S. went through a frenzied period of attempting to develop domestic shale oil resources.

The plan was to pump product out of mountain ranges spanning Wyoming, Utah and Colorado.

To that end, the government set up the Synethic Fuels Corporation "to create a market for synthetic fuel alternatives to imported fossil fuels" like shale oil.

Five years later, it was dead — a spectacular boondoggle 

But the hysteria at the time was incredible — rivaling what we're seeing today.

And the company's story teaches us a lesson about what will truly determine our energy future

As far back as the '60s, the government recognized shale's importance

"The Department of the Navy is convinced that it is necessary to encourage continued experimentation in the mining, production and refining of oil shale and shale oil" for both emergency use and as a fuel supplement, Navy captain Ken Lovell told Congress.

A decade later, the rush was on. The government began proposing a "Manhattan Project"-style effort to "bleed the mountains" of Wyoming, Colorado and Utah of their deposits

Occidental was proposed to lead the project to access the estimated 1.8 trillion barrels lie beneath the those states. "A crash program, say the Occidental engineers, could relieve the us oil shortage within 3 years," the article says.

But by 1975, there were already hiccups. UPI reported companies had seen "sharp setbacks" from companies' sluggishness overcoming technical obstacles

"The Utah sands are so hard that there is no commercial interest in extracting the oil," the reporter wrote, though noted a new study said the setbacks would be temporary. 

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Bloomberg BRIEF — Bloomberg's economics newsletter/radio show— has put together a comprehensive slide deck about what happens if and when we go over the fiscal cliff .

It's scary.

Basically, consumers are not prepared, no matter what scenario emerges from Washington.

But there are also many different scenarios, depending on the knock-on effect for the economy that scenario would entail.

Read on to see how bad it could get.

Huge thanks to Bloomberg BRIEF for permission to run their feature.

Going over the cliff will likely cause an instant recession

For instance, the expiration of the Bush tax cuts will blow out 1.3 percent of GDP

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This post originally appeared on SmarterTravel.

Most people dream of taking a once-in-a-lifetime vacation to somewhere far away and exotic.

Maybe it's to celebrate a special occasion like a honeymoon or an anniversary or simply to enjoy a much-needed escape from the daily grind.

No matter what, your longing doesn't have to live in fantasyland forever. Far-flung places like Tahiti, New Zealand, Bali, and Hawaii are more within reach than you might think.

Whether you've been squirreling away cash for more than a decade or are just starting to consider a trip, here are some exotic South Pacific vacations that are sure to wow. As a bonus, we've compiled some useful tips and money-saving strategies to make these dream trips a reality.

South Island, New Zealand

New Zealand's larger island has less than half of the country's population, so if you want to get away from it all, this is definitely the spot. You'll find wildlife and scenery here that's unlike anything else in the world.

Why Go: Mountains, glaciers, volcanoes, and pristine coastlines make the South Island's landscapes some of the world's most picturesque.

Skiing, scuba diving, and hiking await the adventurous, while world-famous vineyards, glamorous boutique hotels, and relaxing spas are in store for those who need some pampering.

Getting There and Finding Deals: Embrace the South Island's outdoorsy focus by renting a campervan to be both your transportation and your lodging. Rates start as low as $28 per day.

Or, experience life on a working New Zealand farm, by booking a farmstay (sheep-shearing duty is optional).

Arriving from the North Island? The most scenic way to get here is via ferry, which takes around three hours. If you're short on time and money, Jetstar Airways often has airfare deals between the two islands.

New Caledonia

Heavenly South Pacific beachscapes and Melanesian culture meet French savoir-vivre on New Caledonia, an archipelago collectivity of France.

Why Go: New Caledonia offers two vacations in one: a luxurious city escape fused with a breezy island adventure.

For a spot of French chic in the South Pacific, visitors can head to cosmopolitan Noumea, New Caledonia's largest city, where vintage boutiques, aqua spas, art galleries, and museums abound.

Then, they can retreat from the city and explore vivid blue coral lagoons, kayak to close-by uninhabited islands, or hit the beach and relax under palm trees on warm sand.

Getting There and Finding Deals: New Caledonia's flagship international airline is Aircalin, which connects the island with destinations in Japan, Korea, Australia, and New Zealand, among others.

Travelers seeking to visit a handful of South Pacific islands can save money by purchasing a Pacific air-travel pass from Aircalin.

Prices vary, but according to Travel Press, rates start at $150 per coupon. (Each coupon is valid for one travel segment.) Note that this pass isn’t currently sold in the United States. Contact Aircalin for more details.

Tahiti

Five amazing archipelagos, 118 islands, one paradise.

Tahiti is less than eight hours from Los Angeles, but it may as well be in an entirely different universe.

Why Go: The South Seas islands promise emerald waters, white-sand beaches, and, oh yeah, overwater bungalows.

Embrace leisure with a unique banana-tree-leaf body wrap, culture on a tour of small villages, or adventure on a shark-feeding expedition.

Or, simply start out the day in your overwater bungalow with breakfast delivered by canoe.

Getting There and Finding Deals: Air Tahiti Nui offers service from Los Angeles. Tahiti.com is offering a two-island vacation package that includes round-trip airfare, ferry transport between islands, daily breakfast, five nights' accommodations, and transfers from $1,999 per person.

For $450 more per person, you can upgrade to an overwater bungalow and have the ultimate Tahiti experience. Find current air-and-hotel vacation packages from a variety of providers on Tahiti-Tourisme.com.

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The naming of U.S. military operations can seem arbitrary and obtuse, but there's logic to them.

Take the quiz >

In the days following World War I it was all about colors. Think Operation Indigo or Operation Gray.

In WWII it was about shaping perceptions, sometimes to the point of wishful thinking, as when the Japanese dubbed their failure at Leyte Gulf — Operation Victory.

During Vietnam names took on a creative appeal designed to boost flagging morale of U.S. troops with names like Operation Killer and Masher.

That type of PR seemed questionable in the less heady days of the mid 1970s and a computer program called the Code Word, Nickname, and Exercise Term System (NICKA) was given the job of job of assigning mission names.

NICKA erred on the opposite end, however, such as when it lamely labeled the Panama invasion Operation Blue Spoon (subsequently changed to a better name, as you'll see in the quiz). So a new system was developed.

To allow for some controlled flair a system was implemented by the Joint Chiefs of Staff where each of the 24 Department of Defense components involved in military operations held unique sets of alphabetic sequences.

Sounds complicated, but it worked like this: The U.S. Atlantic Command (USACOM) was assigned six two-letter sequences: AG-AL, ES-EZ, JG-JL, QA-QF, SM-SR, and UM-UR. The first word of the two-word military operation name had to begin with one of these pairs. Like Grenada: Urgent Fury (UR).

Today staff officers have a bit more freedom naming operations and following the PR success of Operation Just Cause, have taken to following these four guidelines.

Make it meaningful. Target the audience. Be wary of fashions, and Make it memorable.

The following quiz will help determine how successful military planners have been in that final naming guideline.

What was the name of the invasion of Iraq?

A: Operation Iraqi Liberation

B: Operation Sandy Ouster

C: Operation Iraqi Freedom

NOTE: Answers are on the next page. Keep track of how many you get right to find out your rank on the last slide.

And the answer is ...

C. Operation Iraqi Freedom

Believe it or not, their first name for the invasion was "Operation Iraqi Liberation."

Later, realizing those three words made the acronym, spelled "OIL," military planners changed the last word to "Freedom."

What did planners call the invasion of Afghanistan?

A: Operation Enduring Freedom

B: Operation Afghan Liberation

C: Operation Taliban Fire

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In the absence of effective stimulus global mainstream property prices are flagging, according to Knight Frank's latest global house price index.

The index rose just 1 percent year-over-year in the third quarter of 2012.  Price growth in Asia is slowing, and the 12 countries at the bottom of the list are all from Europe.

However, some housing markets are booming.

We drew on Knight Frank's list of 55 countries and highlighted the 12 with the highest price increases.

Estonia

Q3 2011 - Q3 2012:
6.4 percent

6-month change:
4.0 percent

3-month change:
2.6 percent

Estonia's home prices began to recover in the second half of 2010, but Europe's sovereign debt crisis continues to be a risk to the country's housing market.

Source: Knight Frank

India

Q3 2011 - Q3 2012:
6.5 percent

6-month change:
3.9 percent

3-month change:
0.6 percent

 "India is likely to see more polarization across city’s performances going forward as the economy absorbs some of the significant reforms that have been implemented over the last few weeks," according to Knight Frank's Nicholas Holt.

Source: Knight Frank

Iceland

Q3 2011 - Q3 2012:
6.6 percent

6-month change:
3.8 percent

3-month change:
0.7 percent

Some fear a housing bubble in Iceland as home prices are 1.7 percent below the pre-crisis peak inMarch 2008, according to Bloomberg. The rise in prices has been attributed to currency controls put in place to support the currency after the country's biggest banks collapsed.

Source: Knight Frank

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There are few things spectacular as an early Sunday morning on a South Pacific Island.

For the boys serving the U.S. fleet at Pearl Harbor December 7, 1941 the sun had a quality like nothing they'd ever seen, big, loose, and orange — but inviting — filling the air with a lurid appeal they just assumed was homesickness.

See the pictures >

Not yet 8 a.m. and softball teams were lining up on the beach. Pitchers warmed up their arms, while batting rosters were finalized and the wives and kids came over from seaside church services.

Stealing a moment to take it all in proved a sight impossible to forget and not a man there who lent himself to the idea, didn't think the same thing. It was perfect.

Not unfamiliar with the narcotic effects of a tropical Sunday morning or American habits, the Japanese thought the morning perfect as well and for hours had been barreling the better part of their naval fleet and air forces across the Pacific and toward Pearl Harbor.

There, tied off like a string of pearls, draped gently across the docks and waterfront was the lion's share of America's naval might.

The still dreamy hour of 8 a.m. local time saw the first wave of Japanese forces bear down and devastate everything in sight.  Amid the carnage, tragedy and loss that came to define the ensuing hours of that day, two things happened.

First, the United States came together and beat back one of the most evil forces the world had ever seen. The second thing that happened was the country promised itself it would never, ever forget that morning.

To that end we offer these original photographs from Pearl that morning so that you too can help 'never forget'.

Aerial view of Battleship Row in the opening moments of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.

Japanese Navy Type 99 Carrier Bombers prepare to take off from an aircraft carrier during the morning of 7 December 1941.

Torpedo plane takes off from Shokaku to attack Pearl Harbor.

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Ladies and Gentlemen, we are not this lucky every day.

The NY Post reports that Lloyd Blankfein just bought a sprawling new 7.5 acre Bridgehampton estate for $35.5 million. He hasn't sold his old Hamptons house but, we're fairly certain he's not worried about that.

The new 8,000 square foot house boasts 6.5 bathrooms, a pool and tennis court, plus plenty of space (formal living and dining room) to entertain.

We'll be waiting for invitation to the house warming.

The area of the estate is outlined in white.

Here's the main house.

Bright rooms inside

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If you've seen the new James Bond movie, you know the opulence found in Macau today is without parallel.

The tiny region, comprising a peninsula jutting out from the mainland and a nearby island, is seen as a proxy for both China (whose wealthier citizens use it as a playground) and the gaming industry as a whole.

Among the crazier facts about Macau today:

• Growth has averaged around 19% for a decade
• In 2006 Macau’s casino revenues  surpassed those of Las Vegas
• The Sands Macau, opened in 2004, recouped its $265 million construction costs in one year

It wasn't always so.

In the summer of 1980, Leroy W. Demery, Jr., an expert in Asian transportation, visited the country (then still a Portuguese protectorate) and documented his journey. 

He recently posted his copyrighted photo collection to flickr, and with his kind permission we have reproduced the snapshots here.

Click here to see his photos >

Here is his introduction to the collection:

I traveled by overnight ferry from Hong Kong to Macao, spent the day (1980 July 16) in Macao, then returned to Hong Kong by overnight ferry.

"Overnight ferry" for a 60 km distance?

Yes, one boarded the vessel about 10 p.m. The fare included a bunk in an air-conditioned dormitory - "Spartan" but very comfortable. The vessel sailed after midnight and certainly arrived within 3-4 hours. Passengers were awakened at about 6 a.m., as I remember.

Yes, catamarans and jetfoils were much faster, but fares were higher, and the overnight ferry permitted one to save the cost of overnight accommodation.

Macao, in 1980, was quiet. Very quiet. It had a distinct "small town" atmosphere that contrasted sharply with the Central District of nearby Hong Kong. Much has changed since then. Remarkably, the land area has nearly doubled, from about 16 square km to nearly 29 square km. Many of the images in this set are certainly "vanished scenes."

I regret that do not have a 1980 street map of Macao, and so am not able to locate some of these images.

By the way, we can only imagine what it must be like for notorious gangster "Broken Tooth,"who just got released from prison after a 14-year sentence for plotting to murder the country's police chief, to see the city now.

Anyway, read on to take the journey to Old Macau.

Just to get you started, here's what Macau looks like today.

And here's what it looked like back in the day. This is Leal Senado, legislative seat during Portuguese rule, now home to the Institute of Civic and Municipal Affairs.

This section of the harbor is now reclaimed land, Demery says.

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Billionaire Steve A. Cohen, who runs the super-secretive hedge fund SAC Capital Advisors, is known on Wall Street for being one of the most successful traders.

He began his Stamford-headquartered hedge fund in 1992 with only $25 million. Today the fund has $14 billion assets under management and employees around 900 people globally. 

During the late 1990s and early 2000s, Cohen came into prominence as a powerful Wall Street trader for his grand slam returns. 

These days he's in the press for another reason.

He has been fingered in several media reports as "Portfolio Manager A" in the latest insider trading case against former CR Intrinsic (a subsidiary of SAC) portfolio manager Mathew Martoma.  

It's widely known that Cohen is the ultimate target of the Securities and Exchange Commission and the Department of Justice. 

While he has been implicated in the latest insider trading case, it's important to keep in mind that he has not been charged with any wrongdoing.  In fact, he may never be charged. 

During a conference call last week where SAC management disclosed that it had received a Wells Notice from the SEC, Cohen told investors that he's confident he acted appropriately and takes these matters very seriously.  

We really don't know the notoriously press-shy hedge fund manager, who rarely gives interviews, all that well.  

Now let's take a tour of his fabulous life and tremendous career and get to know him better. 

He's a Long Island native. He grew up in a middle class family and had a lot of siblings.

Steve Cohen was born on June 11, 1956. He's the third out of eight kids.  

He grew up on Great Neck, Long Island, New York. 

His father worked at a dress manufacturer and his mother was a homemaker who also taught piano lessons. 

Source: BusinessWeek, Source: WSJ 

In high school, the billionaire worked at a supermarket.

Cohen was a "fruit boy" at Bohack supermarket where he made a $1.85 an hour.

He quit that job because he was making more at the poker table.  

Source: Vanity Fair

He graduated from Wharton with a degree in economics.

He studied economics at the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania.  

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A year ago, when an FBI agent told former SAC portfolio manager Mathew Martoma at his Florida home they had evidence he broke the law, he passed out in his front yard, the New York Times reported. 

Last month, Martoma was arrested at his Boca Raton mansion and has been charged in what is believed to be "the most lucrative" insider trading scheme ever. Martoma worked at CR Intrinsic Investors, a subsidiary of SAC.

Curbed's Rob Bear was able to track down the photos of Martoma's Florida mansion, which he purchased in December 2010 for $1.96 million. The SEC's complaint against Martoma, he received a $9.3 million bonus and no bonuses in 2009 and 2010 before being let go.

According to the listing from Zillow, the 6,150 square-foot home features five-bedrooms, six-and-a-half bathrooms and a pool.  Other amenities include an elevator and a fake lawn (artificial grass), according to Bloomberg News. 

Let's take a house tour!

The home is two-stories.

It's 6,150 square feet.

It was built in 2003.

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The earth’s current rate of extinction is greater than at any other time since the dinosaurs disappeared around 65 million years ago.

The natural extinction rate (aka background rate) describes how fast plants, mammals, birds, insects, etc. would die off if humans weren’t around.

See the animals >

Scientists state that today species are disappearing at almost 1,000 times the natural rate, meaning we’re losing around 150-200 species every day.

Close to 15% of mammal species and 11% of bird species are currently listed as threatened with extinction.

With an increasing human population, more and more land is being appropriated to develop cities, acquire natural resources, and build farms, amongst other reasons.

This means loss of habitat for many animal species. In addition to this, other beings need to contend with human-caused disasters such as oil spills, climate change, and acid rain.

And on top of that there’s the issue of over-hunting / -fishing and poaching to sustain an illegal market that trades in animals.

Hopefully this is something we can turn around, and the 21 animals listed below will be with us far into the future.

Bengal Tiger

Status: Endangered ^src

Threat: Poaching for the skin and other body parts is the most serious threat. Habitat loss through human movement and potential for climate change-induced sea level rise is also a main concern.

Species info: The population is estimated at less than 2,500 in total with a decreasing trend.

Natural habitat: Mangrove forests of Bangladesh, throughout various national parks and forested areas in India and Nepal, and in subtropical Himalayan foothills in Bhutan.

Orangutan

Status: Endangered (Bornean) ^src to Critically Endangered (Sumatran) ^src

Threat: Loss of habitat due to over-logging and conversion of habitat for agriculture, as well as fragmentation due to roads, are of primary concern for both species.

Fires have played a large role in the reduction of population of the Bornean Orangutan. Hunting and pet trade are also threats.

Species info: Over the last 75 years, it's estimated that the population of the Sumatran Orangutan has declined by over 80% and continues to decrease.

Most of the animals live outside of protected areas. Over 60 years, the Bornean Orangutan has declined over 50% and it's expected that this rate will continue.

Natural habitat: The Sumatran Orangutan is found in the north of the island of Sumatra, Indonesia, the majority in the province of Aceh.

The Bornean Orangutan is found throughout the island of Borneo, mainly in Sarawak, Malaysia and Kalimantan, Indonesia.

Polar Bear

Status: Vulnerable ^src

Threat: Due to global climate change, the amount of sea ice is rapidly declining. This means a loss of habitat for polar bears, who are heavily reliant on the ice for their survival.

Over 45 years (three generations), it's suspected that the population has declined by over 30%. Some estimate that the polar bear will be extinct within 100 years.

In addition to melting sea ice, other factors affecting the population are "over-harvesting" in Canada and Greenland, poaching in Russia, and pollutants (at the top of the food chain they are susceptible to compound effects of pollution as it works up the food chain).

Oil development in the Arctic is also a major concern, with the potential of oil spills and increased human-bear contact.

Natural habitat: Circumpolar Arctic (as far south as sea ice extends). Popular viewing spots include the Svalbard Archipelago in Norway and Churchill, Manitoba in Canada.

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During the holidays, it's natural to want to give the world to those we love.

After all, nothing is too good for our parents, siblings, spouses, and dear friends. But a smart shopper never financially overextends himself at the holidays.

So how exactly can you impress your giftee without blowing your entire budget? It's all about perceived value, sentimentality, and need.

These notions are subjective of course, but we've found that the following gift ideas have the ability to make your giftee think you splurged on their holiday present, when you really just shopped wisely.

Designer Products at Mainstream Retail Chains

The whole idea behind high-end designers producing an accessibly-priced line of products available through a mainstream channel like Target or Sephora is to make money off the cachet attached to the brand name.

And it works, as exemplified by the immense popularity of Target's designer capsule collections. Currently, the retailer is promoting its exclusive Neiman Marcus collection, which includes wares from designers such as Marc Jacobs, Lela Rose, Oscar de la Renta, and more.

Many of the price tags however are a bit high to be considered inexpensive, but a few items are priced just right. Like this Tory Burch Lunch Box ($19.99 with $5.18 s&h), which can serve as a makeup bag and will delight any fashion-loving lady on your list.

Pearl Jewelry

Regardless of how easily this gem is now produced, the pearl still exudes an air of class and elegance over other jewelry.

(For some though, it might just seem stuffy, so make sure you know your audience with this one.) We periodically see inexpensive options — like this 9mm White Freshwater Pearl Necklace ($14.99 via coupon code "dealnews25" with free shipping, a low by $9) — that still have the luster and weight of pearls that the average person will associate with a much pricier product.

Skullcandy Headphones

Considering how much we rely on portable music these days, extra pairs of headphones are always appreciated.

But if you can't afford to spring for an acclaimed pair of Bose or Diddybeats ear phones, you can at least opt for something snazzy; Skullcandy regularly discounts its brightly-colored headsets to well under $20 via its eBay store, and the everything-but-standard-black hues will make these phones seem like a special purchase.

Currently you can score the Skullcandy Lowrider Headphones($15.99 with free shipping, a low by $7) in purple.

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Well, the 5125-year Mayan calendar comes to an end on December 21, 2012, and no one knows what will happen next.

True believers suppose we might see cataclysmic solar flares or an incident involving a black hole or a collision between Earth and a planet called Nibiru.

To prepare for these scenarios — or, if you prefer, more conventional fears like economic collapse and nuclear war — we have identified some places for you to hide out.

They won't keep you safe if the world is completely destroyed, but they're good bets if there's some kind of post-apocalypse.

Bugarach, France

This small town in the south of France will be the only place on the planet that will survive the Mayan apocalypse, according to some doomsday cults.

Although it has a population of just 176, apoca-tourism has been booming. But better get there soon: the town's mayor reportedly plans to shut the hamlet down ahead of the waves of expected doomsday believers.

Chiang Mai, Thailand

All you really need to know is that this idyllic city in the North of Thailand is where famous investor Marc Faber makes his home. Faber is one of the most gloomy people you'll meet in the investment world, constantly issuing warnings about where you should live if the war comes (rural farmland), and what will happen to the dollar (it will be worth less than toilet paper).

What's more, while Southeast Asia has been a hotspot for war, heroin, massacres, and political turmoil for decades, Chiang Mai has remained a stronghold of peace and stability. That's a great sign that it can probably survive no matter what history throws at the rest of us.

Necker Island

This is the island that Virgin mogul Richard Branson owns. If you call him up, we're sure he'll let you live there when everything collapses.

Branson completely rebuilt the island after its main house was destroyed in a fire last year, so even if things get messy during the apocalypse, you can be sure Branson won't let things stay that way for long.

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The Huffington Post launched a streaming-video news network called HuffPost Live on August 13.

Since then, a team of reporters, producers, and on-air anchors have been broadcasting news and general-interest stories for 12 hours a day.

The network mixes Internet and TV tools to get the job done. On a given day, it might use Google Hangouts and Skype to connect with guests—while producing it all through a professional on-air studio staffed by skilled cameramen.

Business Insider was invited to take a look around the office to see how The Huffington Post and HuffPost Live operate.

We start in the newly launched HuffPost Live space. It's a streaming-video network that operates a floor below The Huffington Post's main newsroom.

Associate producers scour the internet looking for news and topics that might make interesting segments.

The segments are then broadcast live to an Internet audience from this studio.

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Bob Doll, the now former chief equity strategist at BlackRock and the current chief equity strategist for Nuveen, offered ten predictions for 2012 a year ago.

"In summary, 2012 is likely to feature a slow-growth world that includes a recession in Europe," he wrote. "Should the muddle-through environment come to pass, we believe earnings and some improvement in confidence would allow equity markets to move higher, with US stocks leading the way."

So, it seems he nailed the gist of 2012.  But what about the details?

We looked back at Doll's 10 prediction and gave him a score.

PREDICTION: "The European debt crisis begins to ease, even as Europe experiences a recession."

Right

In Q3, the eurozone went into recession after booking its second straight quarter of contraction.  Meanwhile, stock markets are up and yields are down in the the area.  E.U. leaders have put together a package that keeps Greece in the E.U. and out of bankruptcy for now.

Tally: 1.0/1.0

Source: BlackRock, Business Insider

PREDICTION: 'The U.S. economy continues to muddle through yet again.'

Right

While not a quantitative term, 'muddling through' is one of the more accurate descriptions of U.S. economic activity that we've heard. Unemployment remains high and GDP growth remains below 3 percent.

Tally: 2.0/2.0

Sources: BlackRock, Business Insider

PREDICTION: "Despite slowing growth, China and India contribute more than half of the world's economic growth."

Half Right, Half Wrong

China and India's growth rates both slowed in 2012. However, the two countries did not account for half the world's growth. In 2012, the IMF estimates the world added about $2.3 trillion in wealth via a projected growth rate of 3.3%. Of that, China contributed approximately $600 billion and India contributed about $100 billion. The two countries contributed less than half of the world's growth in 2012.

Tally: 2.5/3.0

Source: IMF

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It's been a crazy year for the New York tech scene.

We saw the Draw Something craze take over the world, startups get acquired for hundreds of millions of dollars, and entire offices get shut down in Hurricane Sandy.

February: OMGPOP created Draw Something, and it sold to Zynga for $180 million two months later

In early February, New York game shop OMGPOP launched a mobile game, Draw Something.

The game grew faster than any mobile app ever before. In its first ten days it was downloaded 1.2 million times. After five weeks, it was downloaded 20 million times.

By week six, Zynga swooped in with an offer to buy the company for about $180 million. By then had been downloaded 35 million times.

March: Foursquare co-founder Naveen Selvadurai departed suddenly

On March 5, Foursquare co-founder Naveen Selvadurai departed the startup.

Gigaom uncovered the news when it started investigating employee stock options that investors were buying up. It turned out a good chunk of the options belonged to Selvadurai.

May: Facebook had a disaster of an IPO, and the aftermath affected the entire startup ecosystem, even on the east coast.

On May 18, Facebook went public. It priced its IPO at $38 per share, valuing the company at about $100 billion.

But the stock didn't pop. Instead, it fell a lot. Today, its stock is trading $11 below the opening price.

The Facebook Fallout affected the entire tech ecosystem, especially startups, and it spooked a lot of investors.

Paul Graham warned all of his Y Combinator founders of the fallout in an email:

The bad performance of the Facebook IPO will hurt the funding market for earlier stage startups. No one knows yet how much. Possibly only a little. Possibly a lot, if it becomes a vicious circle....What I do worry about is (a) it may be harder to raise money at all, regardless of price and (b) that companies that previously raised money at high valuations will now face "down rounds," which can be damaging.

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Author and radio host Diane Brandon has interpreted hundreds of dreams during her 40 years as a student of sleep research. 

"I feel that our unconscious, which is the source of most but not all of our dreams, is a wonderful inner ally that is trying to bring us to wholeness and balance," Brandon tell us.  

Brandon helped us compile a list of the 10 most common nightmares, or dreams with negative meanings, which we have only edited for clarity.  

10. Having a disease or health emergency

This nightmare could reflect a fear of an unknown thing suddenly having a negative impact on the dreamer’s life. It could also reflect an underlying fear of illness or of contracting a serious disease. It could also express a fear of not being able to enjoy life or that there’s something wrong (“ill” or “rotten”) in one’s life.

A nightmare about an illness could also be a way of telling the dreamer that he or she actually has an illness, even if consciously unaware of it.

Source: Diane Brandon

9. Being attacked or injured

This type of nightmare could reflect a fear of others, a fear of not fitting in, a literal fear of violence, or a fear of being figuratively “attacked" or criticized by others. It’s important to take into account the actual scenario and what’s going on in the dreamer’s life for meanings.

Source: Diane Brandon

8. Car trouble

This nightmare can reflect a feeling of not being able to move forward in life or even of one’s life being out of control.

Our car is frequently how we not only travel, but “get to places" in life.

Source: Diane Brandon

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This was a huge year for apps.

Apple's App Store surged to more than 700,000 apps and is still growing. Google's Android Play Store also swelled to around 700,000 apps as of October 2012, significantly closing the gap between the two rivals.

As the year nears a close, we took a look at some of the industry game changers of 2012.

Brewster changes the way we look at our address book and relationships

Brewster is a personalized address book that understands your social networking relationships and merges everything into a beautifully-designed app. The goal is to make it easier to manage your contacts. And to that end, the app delivers.

Our favorite feature is the ability to mass email or text a group of friends.

Price: Free

Available for:iPhone

The Fancy challenged us to think outside of the box when it comes to e-commerce apps

The Fancy is changing how we discover and purchase things that we like. Think of The Fancy as a social version of Amazon or a shopper-friendly version of Pinterest.

The Fancy was so cool this year that there were even talks of Apple buying the service.

Check out our walkthrough of the Fancy >

Price: Free

Available on:Android and iOS

Fantastical made a better iPhone calendar than Apple's built-in app

Fantastical's goal is to be fast and friendly. It realizes that people are always on the go and makes it very easy to quickly pull up the app, check your appointments, and avoid complications.

The team built Fantastical for iPhone from the ground up because they didn't want to just port a desktop app to the iPhone and be done with it.

Price:$1.99 (launch price). Flexibits plans to raise the price to $3.99 at some point, so if you want an alternative to the iPhone's built-in calendar, now's a good time to try it out. 

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After we heard about a woman who kept dead cats in her home on the television show "Hoarders" this week, we wondered what else crews have found inside people's homes.

So, we went through the six seasons of A&E's hit show to uncover other horror items uncovered in cleanups. 

We now wish we didn't.

Though most episodes deal with piles of clutter and garbage, dolls, and clothes collections, some of the cases have become more extreme as the show progressed into later seasons.

A few of the items we found were so obscene, we suggest readers precede with caution.

Cats were just the tip of the iceberg. 

Hanover, Illinois resident Terry collected stray living and dead cats.

Terry didn't even know how many cats she owned but estimated the number at 50. She also had another 75-100 dead ones – some of which liquefied – in her refrigerator and freezer.

She attributed the cat hoarding to the death of her father when she was 13.

"I have this feeling in me that I'm helping save something," said Terry during the latest episode.

Terry said she wanted to cremate the cats but never received money to do so she began freezing them.

(Season 6 Episode 4)

Constance's home in Freestone County, Texas was full of chickens and rotting eggs.

Constance runs a "fresh egg" business; however, she had so many eggs that some were lying around her house unrefrigerated while others were growing into embryos.

She admitted to cooking and feeding some of the bad eggs to her dogs.

Upon cleanup, dead chicken parts were found in the engine of her car.

(Season 5, Episode 11)

A woman in Michigan also had jugs and jars full of urine in her home.

(Season 4, Episode 1)

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Before, during, and after the recession, McDonald's has been an unstoppable global force.

The fast food giant can now be found in 119 countries, where it serves over 75 burgers every second.

And if you don't like burgers, the chain is great at localization with countless unique items served at around the world, and now it's taking over coffee— oh yeah, the McRib is coming back soon.

McDonald's' daily customer traffic (62 million) is more than the population of Great Britain

Source: Yahoo Finance

McDonald's sells more than 75 hamburgers every second

Source: McDonald's Operations and Training Manual via Side Dish

McDonald's feeds 68 million people per day, that's about 1 percent of the world's population

Source: Societe General via Dominic Chu

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