[Gnnr]

Originally Posted by Daniel.

That's good feedback. Have you considered that instant search, auto correction and other new features which are defaulted to "on" wouldn't be used half as much if it was just "off" all the time?

No, I don't think so. Keep those features on by default in iGoogle instead. Have the default Google page plain with no frills like it used to be.

(Devil's advocate) As for your anecdotal story regarding searching for Axiom's Edge, have you considered that the page you were looking for was not as relevant to the original search as all the prior results?

This is a page that would constantly be on the first page when I searched before. I just had trouble remembering the name, but would know it when I saw it as it is a unique one. That was just one example as it was the most recent. But the quality of results I've been experiencing has been on a decline for a while now.

As for the location based searches, I've personally found that they're useful to me. Just turn it off if you don't like it. Follow the instructions here. Location : Features - Web Search Help

Can I turn off location-based customization?

The customization of search results based on location is an important component of a consistent, high-quality search experience. Therefore, we haven't provided a way to turn off location customization, although we've made it easy for you to set your own location or to customize using a general location as broad as the country that matches your local domain.

If you find that your results for a particular search are more local than what you're looking for, you can set your location to a broader geographical area (such as a country instead of a city, zip code, or street address). Please note that this will greatly reduce the amount of locally relevant results that you’ll see.

So the answer is No. Pffft.