The buzz from Henk Van Ess' exposure of Google's evaluation continues to expand, and Henk himself has posted a great deal more information. A visit to SearchBistro is highly encouraged.

Of specific note is the word document entitled "Spam Recognition Guide for Raters" which will probably let many SEOs know that their spam islands will eventually be doomed. Quality sites really are where it's at and if the sandbox is part of the manual reviews, this can help you to figure out what will qualify your site as spam vs. non-spam.

Henk has also received some legal threats and requests from GoogleGuy, and may not have the ability to maintain his site into the far future. He believes that Dutch press laws will keep him safe, but I'm skeptical. I suggest getting this info while it's available.