How does the British Queen feel about the Internet?

It might seem like an unlikely match—an ancient institution getting up to grips with cutting edge technology—but the British royal family has been active online for more than a decade. Royal watchers describe the 82-year-old Queen as a silver surfer, who’s enthusiastic about the Internet and who keeps in touch with younger members of her family be e-mail.

The number of applications for new patents has risen rapidly in China, which is set to pull ahead of Japan—the current leader in new patents-by 2012. The nation is moving away from traditional agriculture and manufacturing industry, and concentrating more on innovation, especially in areas such as chemical engineering.