superscript - 2:02 pm on Dec 20, 2003 (gmt 0)

Codex,

It would also seem to suggest off line processing of the filter being applied

Could you expand on this? I presume you mean that the effects of the 'filter' (I use the word cautiously) is built into the SERPs at the datacenter - not applied immediately after the search. (I always presumed this, but it shows how many interpretations of the word are possible - yours seems a more technical one)