rechargeable battery myth?

[rpeterson at yellowbank.com (Ron Peterson)]

You should let your rechargeable batteries drain down before recharging
them, right?

Not so, according to "Fine Homebuilding" - see:

http://www.taunton.com/fh/features/tools/12vcdrills/4.htm

I've seen this myth debunked elsewhere, also, but I don't remember
where.  Among other things, I remember reading that most batteries
contain multiple cells.  Even if the battery is not discharged
completely, one or more of it's cells might be completely used up.  They
don't discharge at equal rates.  Which apparently is A Bad Thing.

Is battery memory only a myth?  Only for certain types of batteries? 
Which ones?

---

On a completely different note, can active matrix screens suffer
burn-out like a CRT?  I like zoning out and watching my screen savers
regardless, but are they really necessary on a laptop?


-Ron-
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