Ah, yes - Instant Search... I thought about that as I typed this. I typically find myself naively hoping that Google treats Instant Search differently than (Actual? Real? Not sure what non-instant would be called) Regular Search, and does not store my fingers' wanderings.

A visual cue such as Instant Search makes it much clearer that the server is reacting to your input, I suppose. Absent that, it is rather worrisome.