Etc...

Did I do something wrong?

Chris van Rossman was relaxing in his Corvallis, Ore., apartment when there was a knock at the door. He opened it to find police officers and men in military uniforms, and they weren't there on a social call. His unit had been identified as the source of an international distress signal that was being detected by an orbiting satellite. Actually, his plasma TV was emitting it - an indication that something had gone haywire with the electronics. And, oops: The warranty had just expired. Because the problem wasn't his fault - and since the fine for a false distress signal is $10,000 a day - the maker of the TV is replacing it for free.

When New York's Freedom Tower is completed on the old World Trade Center site in 2008 or 2009, it will be a symbolic 1,776 feet tall. Although that will make it the world's tallest stucture, the observation deck will be below where it was in the Twin Towers - 1,100 feet, compared to 1,355 feet. Atop that will be a 276-foot spire designed to echo the majestic Statue of Liberty. Whether the Freedom Tower's operators will be able lay claim to its being the world's tallest building is arguable, but certainly it will cut an imposing figure on the New York skyline. The world's tallest buildings at present, with their locations and heights (in feet):

1. Taipei 101, Taipei, Taiwan 1,670
2. Petronas Towers 1,2, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia 1,483
4. Sears Tower, Chicago 1,450
5. Jin Mao Building, Shanghai, China 1,381
6. Two International Finance Center, Hong Kong 1,362
7. CITIC Plaza, Guangzhou, China 1,283
8. Shun Hing Square, Shenzhen, China 1,260
9. Empire State Building, New York 1,250
10. Central Plaza, Hong Kong 1,227
- Associated Press/ Wikipedia