You might imagine that vast patent royalties flow into the organisation that invented the touchscreen and the World Wide Web. But the atom-smashing outfit CERN, cradle of both these technologies, doesn't make a bean from either.

Unemployment is chronic in much of the country, but in Silicon Valley, employees have their pick of jobs. In an economic climate that is the near converse of a recession, talent is scarce and star programmers have the upper hand.

While many manufacturers across the state are languishing in the recession, Automated Dynamics Inc. of Schenectady is seeing a surge in business. That's because the privately held company makes specialized robots that produce advanced materials and prototype devices.

Reports of an effort to revive an on-again, off-again tax credit for research and development, and possibly to make it permanent, were met with a mix of hope and skepticism among advocates for Silicon Valley tech firms, who see it as a vital driver of innovation.

Perhaps never before has there been a greater need for innovation to reinvent the economy. In Arizona's business world, creativity could be defined by the young paramedic who launched an air-ambulance company, the owner of a janitorial service who developed a more sanitary approach, or the creators of countless energy-saving, time-saving new products.

Intel was stumped. For a key step in a new design, Intel needed a technique to strip out some materials while leaving others for connections and insulation. Conventional approaches had failed, so Nabil Mistkawi put his imagination to work.