map smaller in browser due to expaned left margin

I'm a frequent user of google maps. Sometime in the past month or so, I
noticed the map appeared much smaller in my browser. It seems the
left-hand margin has grown considerably, reducing the map size.

There must be a way to get rid of the margin altogether. I mean, how
many times do I need to see "example searches"?!

Here's one approach...
I noticed when using the q parameter, the map fills the whole width of
the screen. So I figure I could set q to the center of the country, and
bookmark that link as my entree to google maps:

http://maps.google.com/maps?q=39,-97&iwloc=0

However, the q parameter defaults to a very small (local) scale. Is
there another parameter that sets the scale (ideally, national scale
which would be 5th from the largest)? It would be great to eliminate
the pushpin as well :-)

Or, perhaps someone knows a different way to access google maps without
the superfluous white space...?

Thanks
David