Google is really aiming to be the total and only point from which information is found online. Look at the types of information found from Google:

• Cached Pages -- ressurect pages from dead sites
• Images -- Try this search for any corporation logo (Shell Logo, Coca-Cola Logo, etc.) 
• Street Maps - simple put an address in the search field and a map of that address will appear (US only at the present time)
• File types -- now supporting:
  • Adobe Portable Document Format (pdf)
  • Adobe PostScript (ps)
  • Lotus 1-2-3 (wk1, wk2, wk3, wk4, wk5, wki, wks, wku)
  • Lotus WordPro (lwp)
  • MacWrite (mw)
  • Microsoft Excel (xls)
  • Microsoft PowerPoint (ppt)
  • Microsoft Word (doc)
  • Microsoft Works (wks, wps, wdb)
  • Microsoft Write (wri)
  • Rich Text Format (rtf)
  • Text (ans, txt)
• Webquotes - see what other people are saying about your webpage -- WOW!

AND there is more. They are just the ones I am now learning to use. Of course most people do not get into searching using all the possible ways of searching in the ordinary search link on the front page of Google. Look at these options for searching Google that are available:

• link:url. Shows other pages with links to url
• related:url same as "what's related" on serps.
• site:domain restricts search results to the given domain.
• allinurl: shows only pages with all terms in the url.
• inurl: like allinurl, but only for the next query word.
• allintitle: shows only results with terms in title. "allintitle:webmasterworld google" finds only pages with webmasterworld and google in the title.
• intitle: similar to allintitle, but only for the next word. "intitle:webmasterworld google" finds only pages with webmasterworld in the title, and google anywhere on the page.
• cache:url will show the Google version of the passed url.
• info:url will show a page containing links to related searches, backlinks, and pages containing the url. This is the same as typing the url into the search box.
• spell: will spell check your query instead of searching for it.
• stocks: will lookup the search query in a stock index.
• filetype: will restrict searches to that filetype. "-filetype:doc" to remove Microsoft word files.
• daterange: is supported in Julian date format only. http://www.webmasterworld.com/forum3/2812.htm

NPR: Spews & Spam (Real Audio file)

Morning Edition reports on the Spam Prevention Early Warning System (SPEWS), which seems to pick up where the the Realtime Blackhole List (aka Mail Abuse Prevention System or MAPS) left off. The NPR promo reads:

"Spam" may be one of the dirtiest words in the computer dictionary. The word makes reference to unsolicited and usually unwanted e-mail. But now a shadowy group is using some severe tactics to rid the computer world of Spam -- and with some effectiveness. NPR's Dan Charles reports.