Yesterday, A9 launched OpenSearch, which I'm incredibly excited about. DeWitt already summed up the possibilities this has for exposing "the long tail of search," and I couldn't agree more.
What does this mean for you as a search consumer? Well, if you use A9.com (or any other future OpenSearch aggregator), you can now simultaneously query 56 search services (and counting) with one search.
Standard Issue Disclaimer: I work for A9. Speaking of which, we're hiring.