Rechargeable... but...

The whole thing about reuse and recycle and reduce is great. I mean, I am totally in for the idea to save the environment. But I think industrial standards have some catching up to do.

With the message of reduce-reuse-recycle in mind, I went out to get myself a set of rechargeable batteries and a charger, simply because I foresaw the need for it. I am using a wireless keyboard at home, and I saw the need to have a constant supply of batteries so that I can continue to use my keyboard. What better way to do this than to use rechargeable batteries? Everytime I run low on battery, I will simply recharge them. That way, I don't need to buy new ones. I reuse existing batteries, I reduce the amount of batteries that I use.

Imagine my surprise when I try to use those batteries... firstly, I found out that they won't fit into the keyboard. Somehow, they are slightly fatter than normal batteries. The bottom line is, they won't fit. Or even if they do, they fit so snugly, it was a challenge trying to get them out. And even if they do fit in, I found out that these rechargeable batteries are not the correct voltage. Normal AA-size batteries are 1.5V, but rechargeable ones are 1.2V...

So yes, the idea is there, to reuse and reduce, but until the industry can get its act together to make sure that these rechargeable batteries are a perfect replacement for the normal ones, we still have some way to go.