How many times have you searched for "child beauty pageant winners" only to find the synopsis of a two year old episode of Toddlers and Tiaras when what you really wanted was a look at current win / loss statistics on the pageant circuit? Never? Well, take it from us — it's a real buzz kill. That's why we were pleased as punch to learn that Google has updated its search algorithm to take into account the "freshness" associated with search terms. According to Google fellow Amit Singhal, the change to the ranking algorithm adds "newness" (our word, not his) as a criteria for results. For instance, if a topic you search for is trending (say, Occupy Oakland) more recent posts will be favored. The same goes for regularly recurring events (say, the presidential election) and things where old information wouldn't serve you well ("best SLR cameras"). For things that aren't exactly breaking news (Singhal uses "fast tomato sauce recipe" as an example here, although the Peloponnesian War might work as well) "freshness" doesn't figure into the results as much. What do you think? Is Google slowly evolving into an intergalactic supermind that will one day kill us all? Let us know what you think in the forums!