Google recently got rid of the "personalized search result" disclosures on search results and issued a puzzling statement in the official blog. Search Engine Land now got Marissa Mayer to clarify:

<<So if you're signed in you have access to the personalized home page, the personalized search results and search history. You know all three of those are working for you when you're signed in. And if you're signed out, meaning that you don't see an email in the upper right hand corner that personalized search isn't turned on. If anything, it's a cleaning up of the user model, to make it clearer to users what services they're using them and when they're using them.>>
http://searchengineland.com/070223-090000.php

I'm still confused though – is there or is there not a way to turn off personalized results when you want to remain logged in to Google?

I think the short answer to that is 'no'.

The recent(ish) change was to make personalised results non-beta, and as such they're automatic and compulsory when you're logged in.

Personally I'm not loving it, for some reason my own sites drop further down the listings when I have personalised search on. Weird.

The short answer is yes.

Use a direct address of a data center, like: http://72.14.207.107/

You won't see any sign in, queries aren't recorded in search history and there's no personalization.

My goal is to permanently disable personalized results while continuing to use Google.com (including being logged in)... I mean I already disabled search history but I guess it may be completely unconnected.

I asked Google and they answered:

"No, you must sign out to turn off personalized search."

So what does this mean ?? That if you are not signed in, then the history is not being logged ?? Or is it being logged , without a link to the user ??
How sure are we that nothing is phished from a users cookie ?

..just asking :-