Holy Crap Rob Naylor I didn't expect an exegesis on terrestrial frames of reference (if, indeed, that was what it was). A school mate of mine from elementary days had an obsession with Mt. Everest. I used to make him schoolkid drawings and pass them in class about how Mt. Everest could be improved in the service of man: internal elevators, parking lots on top, Tastee Freeze or elaborate bird sanctuary where all their crap wouldn't freeze, re-name it to something more American, preferably in honor of The Red Sox. This same kid told me that one of the detailed surveys made in precisely estimating the up-top altitude came out to 29,000 feet exactly but this looked like it lacked enough significant figures so they added a few feet to make it look righteous!

JennieG I laughed aloud at "sphere itself!" I hope that went into my permanent memory.