But since then google has fallen way down, and search is back to being awful and full of chaff. Whether that's because we have higher expectations, or because the chaff producers have adapted and google has failed to adapt to their adaptation doesn't change the fact that search is back to being a chore like it was in 1998.

20+ years ago, I could search for exactly what I wanted. Today's search engines often give me a page or so of irrelevant but popular results before I find what I need.