Google has changed a bit...

[alx]

@InTheSand, InTheSand

Say you were searching for Micro$oft, in the past, Google would return a link directly to http://www.microsoft.com

Now it returns a link to http://www.google.co.nz/url?sa=t&ct=res&cd=1&url=http%3A//www.microsoft.com/&ei=6p8NQ4jDDKSO-AHljMGOBQ

I don't get that here.  In the past though, Google have tested out new features on a random selection of people (this happened a while ago with something in the main search tool - cannot remember what it was though).  If it's a success, they might well roll it out to the rest of us mere mortals.