Part of me wonders if the ad market is just radically different on Google in the US or other parts of the world, or if I just make very non-commercial searches. I don't see many ads, unless I'm actively going to Google Shopping essentially in search of them.

I do see the Google info box style results, but I find these to be one of the most useful parts and it's one of the reasons I like using Google for things that are basic facts, media fact finding (like "who was that person in that show" style queries), etc.