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Google has again tweaked its search algorithm to bring users more recent and relevant results, the company announced on Thursday.
The 'freshness algorithm' update, which Google says will affect over a third of all searches, will offer the newest results for recurring events like the Olympics (searches will yield 2012 results instead of 2008).
It will also bring the latest posts from developing news stories and analyse web trends to bring you the results most prevalent to your search query.
In a post on the company blog, Google's Amit Singhal says the update will bring a more instant flavour to search results about recent events.
"If I search for Olympics," he wrote. "I probably want information about next summer's upcoming Olympics, not the 1900 Summer Olympics.
"Google Search uses a freshness algorithm, designed to give you the most up-to-date results, so even when I just type Olympics without specifying 2012, I still find what I'm looking for.
"Given the incredibly fast pace at which information moves in today's world, the most recent information can be from the last week, day or even minute, and depending on the search terms, the algorithm needs to be able to figure out if a result from a week ago about a TV show is recent, or if a result from a week ago about breaking news is too old."
The update builds on the success of the Caffeine Index Update, which allowed faster trawling of the web archives in order to easily dig out the freshest information.
Singhal is keen to point out that the new algorithm won't push the most prevalent information onto the sixth page of search results for the sake of pushing fresh content.
He added: "Different searches have different freshness needs.
"This algorithmic improvement is designed to better understand how to differentiate between these kinds of searches and the level of freshness you need, and make sure you get the most up to the minute answers."
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On the face of it, Internet Explorer doesn't have much in common with Sugababes: IE isn't beautiful, doesn't sing and isn't likely to dress in a primary-coloured PVC dominatrix outfit to perform at G-A-Y.
However, they're not as different as you might think.
I'm serious. Both were big in 2003, and both have seen their popularity slide dramatically ever since. In 2003, Hole In The Head sold 145,000 copies and the album Three went double platinum, selling 855,000 copies; meanwhile Internet Explorer dominated the browser charts with a staggering 95% market share.
Now, though, Sugababes struggle to sell any records at all - their latest album, Sweet 7, sold sweet F. A. - and IE's market share is in steep decline.
In October, IE's global market share dipped below 50% for the very first time.
Like Sugababes, IE hasn't given up the ghost yet - it still commands 52.63% of desktop browsing, although that share's dropping too - but like Sugababes it's clear that younger rivals have taken its place in the charts.
In the case of Sugababes that's a shame, but in the case of IE it's excellent news - for all of us.
In 2003, IE looked invincible. Websites told you to use IE or get stuffed, and Microsoft's attitude to the browser wars appeared to be "We won! Time for bed!" IE6 was already two years old, and Microsoft didn't seem too keen on updating it. In fact, the next version of IE wouldn't ship until 2006.
If IE6 had been perfect, that wouldn't have been a problem. But it wasn't - and in tech, if something isn't perfect then sooner or later somebody comes along with a better idea. In this case, the better idea was Firefox. While IE development stagnated, Mozilla stocked up on Red Bull and released browser after browser after browser.
Firefox's strategy reminds me of the Jack Handey quote: "What he had accomplished was a brilliant piece of strategy. First, he punched me. Then, he kicked me. Then, he punched me again."
Firefox gave IE a good punching for several years, and since then others have joined in too - most notably Chrome, which is currently doing to Firefox what Firefox did to IE.
It's easy to forget just how volatile the tech industry can be. Many of the things I used to depend on - CompuServe, AltaVista, HotBot, RealPlayer - are long gone, or reduced to shadows of their former selves.
Many of the things I rely on today - Google, iPhones, mobile broadband and cloud computing - are relatively recent arrivals. In 2003, IE looked like it'd rule the web forever; now, it's just another browser.
Whether you're a tech firm gloating about your current world domination or an observer wondering just how evil a site or service needs to become before everybody jumps ship, IE5's decline should be a reminder: Tech dominance, like chart success or membership of Sugababes, is strictly temporary.
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