20. An advertising machine implemented on at least one computer and operable to provide advertisements via a communications link to a data processing device of a user, the advertising machine comprising: a communications interface operable to interface with the data processing device of the user via the communications link; a database search engine operable to: receive from the data processing device via the communications link a search request that includes a search argument; and search at least one database using the search argument to produce search results; an associative search engine operable to select at least one advertisement from an advertisement database based upon at least one of the search argument and the search results; the communications interface operable to: transmit the search results together with the at least one advertisement via the communications link to the data processing device; receive search refinement input from the data processing device via the communications link; the database search engine further operable to produce modified search results based upon at least the search refinement input; the associative search engine further operable to select at least one other advertisement from the advertisement database based upon the modified search results; and the communications interface further operable to transmit at least one of the modified search results and the at least one other advertisement via the communications link to the data processing device.
20. An advertising machine implemented on at least one computer and operable to provide advertisements via a communications link to a data processing device of a user, the advertising machine comprising: a communications interface operable to interface with the data processing device of the user via the communications link; a database search engine operable to: receive from the data processing device via the communications link a search request that includes a search argument; and search at least one database using the search argument to produce search results; an associative search engine operable to select at least one advertisement from an advertisement database based upon at least one of the search argument and the search results; the communications interface operable to: transmit the search results together with the at least one advertisement via the communications link to the data processing device; receive search refinement input from the data processing device via the communications link; the database search engine further operable to produce modified search results based upon at least the search refinement input; the associative search engine further operable to select at least one other advertisement from the advertisement database based upon the modified search results; and the communications interface further operable to transmit at least one of the modified search results and the at least one other advertisement via the communications link to the data processing device. 25. The advertising machine of claim 20 , wherein the associative search engine is further operable to select the at least one advertisement based upon at least one of user profile data and user preference data.