He might be mentally imbalanced rather than doing this on purpose. If he IS perpetuating a fraud, then he gonna be real sorry when his ship really DOES catch fire. (Cry wolf much?)

SIGH. You're right. But I feel better having vented. I'll go hunt down some NiMHs and see if that fixes things. Any brands I should avoid at all costs? Just to narrow the field and save pennies.

I've been researching battery solutions for a week now for my Pentax ist-D SLR (refer to my rant comment on this post for details http://ricehigh.blogspot.com/2010/07/overclocking...). All I can say is this:

I SHOULD NOT (nor should any non-pro consumer) HAVE TO BE DOING THIS.

If the product I want (camera) is distributed through a commercial big-box shop (Circuit City at the time), then it would be considered CONSUMER-level and should be EASY to use. It should not require loading up on endless amounts of scientific data about which particular battery clocks better and whether to use NiMH, Lithium, CV-something, or use brands I have never heard of (Camelion? eneloop? huh?) that as far as I know cannot be found at any of the stores where I normally buy batteries (W*lM*rt). It should be a simple matter of consumer buys expensive camera, consumer follows procedures outlined in manual, consumer experiences at least 10-15 years of pleasure from said item WITHOUT ALL THE HULLABALOO.

I am NOT a professional photographer. I am at best a hobbyist but as a former graphic designer, I am particular about resolution and quality so I invested in something a little better than a sure shot (the digital equivalent of an Instamatic). I use my camera to photograph the fiber arts and paintings that I sell online, and to document my process, and document life. I DON'T NEED TO HAVE TO KNOW ABOUT BATTERY CLOCKING SPEEDS TO DO THIS. NOR SHOULD I.

I bought my ist-D based on familiarity with the Pentax name and prior ownership of a K-1000 film camera that gave me a good 25 years of easy use up until it was stolen. I had no idea I was making such a grave error replacing it with the ist-D, and that my camera would be considered "obsolete" within six years of purchase, and rendered unusable BECAUSE OF A STINKING BATTERY ISSUE THE COMPANY BUILT INTO THEIR PRODUCT and that either nobody at Circuit City knew about or bothered to warn me about. And Pentax Tech Support wasn't any help at all.

Mad? Me? Heh. Mad doesn't begin to cover it. /end rant

So, what batteries DO work in a Pentax ist-D SLR? I have one that I purchased in 2006. It was working great on "old" (ie circa 2007) Energizer Lithiums AAs up until a couple months ago. I hadn't needed to change the batteries for a long, long time, as I took them out when I knew I wouldn't be using the camera for a bit.

I went to use it last week, got the flashing battery icon. Replaced with AA alkalines (didn't have lithiums on hand). Still got the flashing icon. Sorted through my battery stash. Tried all kinds of AAs. No good.

Called Pentax. Was told "newer" batteries are "too powerful" for my "old" camera (since when is a 2006 product that cost a LOT of money "old" within six years?). Was told that 1.5 volts nowadays actually output 1.8, which is too much for this model. Was told the rechargeable solution, was told to go to the dollar store and buy the cheapest off-brand I could find (which I did—no change). Was told AC adaptors for my model were no longer produced, but there are a few left (for $50) on Amazon. Was basically told I was SOL and should probably just buy a new one.

Well, I would, if funding was available but it's not right now. So, what batteries WILL work? What brand, what model number, where can I get them? Any advice, please, thank you...

That is so wrong it isn't even imaginable.

I wish they could find the people who dumped them and left "two or three" kittens to be squooshed in a sack, and their littermates had to live IN that sack with them until the dog rescued them (GOOD DOG!!!). It is so unthinkable, I'm about to lose my lunch. I'm so sad for the lost ones, and happy for the ones who survived. May they find loving forever homes.

And how would one go about getting in touch with these organizations to offer help? A direct phone line or email contact would be appreciated.

A quarter billion will be just fine, thanks!

"Every month brings a new, bizarre, almost surreal incident involving privately-held, dangerous wild animals."

Is this a verifiable fact, or just a broad generalization?

They're obviously harassing Hetrick, if they gave him a deadline, and he spent all that money to comply. They probably thought he wouldn't make the deadline, thought they "had" him. IMHO, the Feds are losers, bigtime. Leave the poor guy and his animals alone!