I monitor Google closely, using a special program that scans about 38 of its data centers. The search for "daniel brandt" without the quotation marks used to show Wikipedia's article on Public Information Research at number 1 or 3 for the past seven months. This is because of Wikipedia's so-called "redirect" that is not a redirect, but rather a 100 percent substitution. (Two links only are shown for each domain, which is why it jumped between 1 and 3 — the competing domain also had two pages to offer.)

A couple of weeks ago it dropped down to about number 5 for the same search, and today it shows up at number 9 on 36 data centers, and at number 5 on the remaining 2 (there is typically a propagation delay among the data centers when a new ranking emerges).

Does anyone notice changes in Google rankings for other Wikipedia links in the past couple of weeks?

The program I use for checking is here. For reliable information, you have to check numerous data centers over a period of months, because in the short term Google can be very quirky. The competing links for that search must have achieved long-term stability also, which is the case in a search for my name.

It's quite possible that Google is finally responding to criticism, mostly from the SEO (search engine optimization) community, that Wikipedia shows up too often at the top of the rankings. Either that, or Google has serious plans for Knol, and they figure it's time to start degrading Wikipedia, slowly but surely.

Either way, it's very good news if it sticks.

I notice it a lot with films, but just wrote it off as more popularity for IMDB and other movie sites.

Oddly enough, I noticed it more for video games too... maybe all the pop culture crap that used to show it at the tops is getting less Wikipedia clicks or something.

Oh, excellent. : )

I'd never heard of Knol before. Interesting.

I've been noticing this for musical topics as well. It used to be that the WP article on composers used to ALWAYS be the first thing you got back. Now, it's around the middle of the page and usually never higher than third or fourth result....

I checked an architectural topic. I can't remember for
sure, but I think it used to be the top result. Now it's
fourth, after the official websites for the topic.

Which is an improvement. Always rather frightening
for WP to rank above the official websites.

I believe the answer is a big, Yes.

Further, I am finding that Yahoo search is gaining on Google for total coverage. Microsoft has deeper pockets than Google, and we know the WMF doesn't have any pockets. Yahoo will be owned by Microsoft in short order.