by Vera H-C Chan Horrendous holiday knits? Too "haute." For a few years now, " ugly christmas sweater " parties and contests have spurred young hipsters to model the gaudiest of the season. But now the trend is too popular: From coast to coast, thrift stores and attics have been cleaned out of grandma's best intentions â?" and ugly inventions. Although the Yuletide is upon us, searches on Yahoo! for the homeliest stitched eyesores persist,

Facebook users are a pretty important group of people; after all, in recent months, it's been established that there are more of them than there are individuals in the United States. So to wrap up 2009, Facebook's provided a list that helps spell out what its users have been thinking about all year. You can view the list of top status trends below. It was made possible thanks to something termed "Facebook Memology," and as you can see,

Instead of hosting a holiday party this year, Facebook has contacted friends and press offering to make a $25 charitable donation in their name. In an e-mail signed by the Facebook Communications and Policy Team, the company directs recipients to DonorsChoose.org, where they can choose from a long list of classroom projects to fund. The e-mail list presumably went out to journalists, analysts and Capitol Hill workers.

Some time ago, Google established a tradition of sending top AdSense and AdWords users holiday gifts. This year, it's departing from that routine. But people are going to have a hard time complaining about the decision, because instead, Google's committed $20 million to a group of charities. AdSense and AdWords partners received messages today that announced the move by saying, "We hope you'll find it fits the spirit of the holiday season.

As much as I enjoy celebrating my birthday every year with my friends, I often regard the anniversary of my relationship with my significant other to be even more important. At Facebook, we're always looking to make it easier to share and recognize such milestones. That's why we recently added the ability for you to include the date of your relationship anniversary on your Facebook profile.

by Claudine Zap Not that anyone needs to remind the snowed-in people on the Eastern seaboard, but today is the first day of winter , known as the winter solstice . The Buzz sheds light on the darkest day. What exactly is the winter solstice? The bleak news: It's the shortest day of the year, meaning the earth's tilt is at 23.5 degrees. As LiveScience puts it, the top half of the earth will spin on its axis away from the sun.

by Vera H-C Chan Our picks from the day's hottest searches. Simon Monjack (breakout). With actress Brittany Murphy 's shocking death commanding the Web, comes the focus on her handler and husband. One observer says they were " crazy in love ." Michael Schumacher (+1,612%). A motorcycle accident sidelined the Formula One driver, but the retired seven-time world champ has been declared " super-fit " and may return to the circuit. Montazeri (+896).

Everybody loves a list of frequently asked questions (FAQ). They often include tidbits of knowledge that are not easily found elsewhere, or present information in ways that often make it more understandable. The Webmaster Center team has been working hard to present more useful content through the team blog in recent months. We already have a FAQ of sorts through the Webmaster Center Help (see the Help system's left hand navigation for the Help-based FAQ),

Over the years, more than a few people have compared the Googleplex to Willy Wonka's chocolate factory. Now, fact and fantasy will come even closer to merging in Pittsburgh, as Google's decided to lease 40,000 square feet at the former site of a Nabisco plant. For better or for worse, this development doesn't signal Google's entry into the candy/baked goods market. The site will play home to all sorts of retail and office space when a renovation is completed,

Next year, Ford will be introducing it's new version of SYNC , a technology it partnered with Microsoft on. This technology will allow you to have constant Wi-Fi in your car. All an owner of a SYNC-ready car would have to do is plug in a compatible USB mobile broadband modem (or air card), and they will create a secure wireless connection that will be broadcast throughout the vehicle. "While you're driving to grandma's house,