Google URL Shortening get API

The long arm of google has found its way into the url shortening space. http://googlecode.blogspot.com/2011/01/google-url-shortener-gets-api.html

It seems there is no area that google won't go to track, trace and analyse your data.  Don't get me wrong, I love many google apps, all of which I use free of charge. That is, I don't actually pay them direct. What they do with my time in the application makes them money; and good luck to them.

I did find it particularly funny to see goo.gl url shortening is the fastest available. http://royal.pingdom.com/2010/10/29/is-goo-gl-really-the-fastest-url-shortener-chart/

I mean...how fast does url shortening have to be!