Sigh.
I've started using it as much as possible now. But I am but one man.
https://openargs.com/oa347-pennhurst-and-the-voter-purge-in-...
and
(2) legal documents should always have the full date (spelled out) on them anyway, so if you just use '20' then that would have been wrong anyway, but 11/Dec/20.
I always find it interesting how people of a certain age, and especially in technology bubbles, enjoy restricting their options so much, as if there is some kind of nobility in giving themselves fewer choices and less freedom in life.
Best tool for the job is on Windows? No way, I only use bespoke FrotzOS distributions on a laptop I built myself from parts I reflowed in my co-living oven.
One of the best movies of all time is on TV tonight? No way, I only watch video if it comes in an internet stream, and only from services I have to tunnel through three VPNs to reach.
Write a check? No way, I only use the Spltzit app for finances, even though it's not accepted everywhere.
Checks are a thing, and will remain a thing for many more decades, or even longer. Get used to it.
There is absolutely no reason why the United States could not do the same, in fact it would be easier there. Payment systems in the United States are archaic and error prone. They also tend to offload the risk of fraud onto the consumers/merchants and I suspect that plus the fees are the bigger reasons why the banks are reluctant to get their act together.
Any serious contract / deed / legal doc I have signed so far has followed that convention, the century being the optional one. The fact that there are always multiple signed copies of such documents, other supporting documents (communications, email) and that fraud in writing is punished quite severely seems to have kept me safe so far.
Want to buy some land? Get ready to write a check to some person or government agency along the way.
Want to transfer money from your account in bank to another with zero fees? Write a check.
Want to start a business? Expect to write a check along the way.
Want to stay in a hotel in some of the world's most interesting places? Cash or travelers checks. Credit card, if you're lucky, but then with a big fee, and they might not have internet.
The real world isn't all online. It isn't all electronic. It isn't Star Trek.
If I refer to 12th of January during Christmas, do I refer to the one that is just a few weeks away or the one that is in the present year?
Because the I in ISO means International, so it's automatically better on HN.
It's why the people on HN go to International House of Pancakes so much, but wouldn't be caught dead in The Pancake House.
Thoughts?
1. Most contracts don't exist in isolation. They'll be associated with some sort of supporting event. Emails, text messages, etc.
2. Similarly, when a contract actually matters (under legal evaluation), it isn't evaluated in isolation. That includes establishing the validity of the contract. If the parties disagree on the date, that should raise red flags.
3. You should retain a copy of the contract no matter what.
4. Last, but not least. Anything of importance should (1) using the full date - perhaps even spelling out the month to avoid format differences (2) consider involving a 3rd party witness like a notary.
