A few interesting articles of note in the world of search over the past week or so:

• A super-secret, super-powerful new search engine called Cuill is in the works.  Developed by a lot of former Google gurus, this one has the industry buzzing.  Apparently, Cuill’s algorithm can do what Google’s does, only much faster and much cheaper.  This article suggests that the fine folks at Google are surely less than pleased about their former employees who started this new engine. 
• Speaking of Google, did you know that you can create a custom search engine for your website that is based on Google’s index?  Using the Custom Search Engine tool from Google, anyone can create a filter based on keywords.  So if you have a hundred-page website about woodworking, you can create a custom filter based on your content and keywords that would allow clients to seamlessly search your site and find exactly what they need.  Cool.
• Lastly, a new company has taken a simple concept and launched a business.  It’s Google search, but with a customizeable image as the home page.  The comapny, called Groovle, uses Google’s index–so you get the same results you would get on the Google home page–and adds in the ability for the user to customize their own home page image.  They have a ton of pre-set images, from celebrities to sports teams, but they also give you the option of using one of your own pictures.  Here’s an example of a Groovle Search Home Page.  You can read more about it here.