And in case you don’t know what a favicon is, it’s that small image next to the URL of the page that you’re on.

In Google’s case, the voluptuous small “g” (Google) has replaced the big “G” (Google). Are they rebranding? Is it an attempt to appear less corporate and more humble as it increasingly dominates the search market?

Anyone else notice the makeover gone wrong over at Blingo?

For the un-initiated, Blingo is a search engine where you are eligible to win a prize for up to 25 searches a day. I have been using it for about the past four months, and not too long ago won a $5.00 Amazon gift certificate. The regular search results were — until very recently — powered by Google.

Well, Spring has sprung and change comes with it, but in this case not for the better. Blingo’s reconstructive surgery has left it one hot mess. Now with intermixed results from Yahoo, LiveSearch, and Ask, inquiries on Blingo return mostly useless results. Nice work, Publisher’s Clearing House.

Boo. Hiss.

By now even casual web users are familiar with the term “Web 2.0″. Probably because the most popular brands (YouTube, Flickr, FaceBook) of the Web 2.0 revolution attract large amounts of novice and first-time web surfers.

Now there is a new revolution on the horizon, one that lacks the glitz and glamor of Web 2.0. This revolution is less about the human user, and more about the machine user.

Welcome To The Semantic Web, Where Machines Do All The Work
Imagine if you didn’t have to dig through Craig’s List, eBay, and Google separately for the best deals on antique soup spoons. Now imagine there is a way for web developers to aggregate all those sites together without much effort, therefore being able to offer users a single point of reference for antique soup spoons.

Welcome to The Semantic Web, where machines do all the work. Continue reading for a preview of the revolution.

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If you’re not already familiar with the infamous scene involving one bro, one John Kerry, and a gang of taser-wielding campus police, check out the video — and listen closely for the quote of the year. (Note: if you’re squeamish, skip it.)

I’m not sure how the Quote Patrol decides which quote is “most memorable,” but no doubt it has something to do with being one of the top quote queries on Google and one of the most popular videos on the web. And now it’s official: “Don’t tase me, bro!” has become the most memorable quote of the year according to the editor of the Yale Book of Quotations.

What makes the video and quote so popular? It’s that special somethin’ — the word “bro.”

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Poor Microsoft. They’re so desperate to get a better grip on the search market that they’re paying people to use their engine. It’s called the Live Search Trial Program. Yup – Microsoft’s new big bad search strategy isn’t a new algorithm or a better user interface. Instead, Microsoft is bribing you with prizes.

Nice try, Microsoft. I might have given your engine a little love just to win a prize, but I can’t even figure out how to participate in the program. Do I have to be a Hotmail user?

I’d rather try Blingo, powered by Google’s search engine (although Google’s universal search features are somewhat depreciated in Blingo’s interface). For 25 searches a day, you are automatically entered to win a prize on Blingo. When you refer your friends, any prize they win, you win as well.

Feel free to be one of my friends….