How does the British Queen feel about the Internet? [br] [originaltext]It might

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.