The UK Date format being replaced by the US style.

Gunni Parker · 20 Nov 2020 at 08:15

This is very much getting on my nerves at the moment and has been doing for a while. Granted, this is only a minor thing considering everything that is going on, but, why is this happening? You only have to turn on the TV to see examples of "November 20th" being stated. Not to mention that this seems to be standard practice for a lot of places now.

JUST STOP IT! Its wrong. Its not our format and it never has been.

savagesam117 · 20 Nov 2020 at 08:17

I never watch normal TV so don’t really notice it. But even you mentioning it annoys me!

Shadowness · 20 Nov 2020 at 08:17

What's the issue with that.

It only becomes stupid when they do it like 11/20/20

(only that date is obvious. It's when its dates like 5/6/20......is that May or June?!)

Semple · 20 Nov 2020 at 08:29

Shadowness said:
What's the issue with that.

It only becomes stupid when they do it like 11/20/20

(only that date is obvious. It's when its dates like 5/6/20......is that May or June?!)

I think i'd agree with this. It doesn't bother me with reading/hearing November 20th or 20th November. In date format it is annoying (11/20/20), should be 20/11/20 or universal 2020/11/20

benjii · 20 Nov 2020 at 08:37

I'm not a fan of the US format at all, I like ours. For most business and education applications though, I think ISO 8601 is the superior format: 2020-11-20

Will Gill · 20 Nov 2020 at 08:37

Shadowness said:
What's the issue with that.

It only becomes stupid when they do it like 11/20/20

(only that date is obvious. It's when its dates like 5/6/20......is that May or June?!)

I agree with this, can't stand seeing the date format like that

Oh Ed not again. · 20 Nov 2020 at 08:40

"Coming soon on November Four..."

It's the 4th of November you movie voiced cretin. Bugger off.

Yaayuh! · 20 Nov 2020 at 08:42

Bugs me too. If you're not going format it incrementally then adopt ISO 8601. Anything else is dumb.

KompuKare · 20 Nov 2020 at 08:43

benjii said:
I'm not a fan of the US format at all, I like ours. For most business and education applications though, I think ISO 8601 is the superior format: 2020-11-20

Plus ISO dates (or East Asian as I like to sometimes call them) has the advantage that the characters are all valid in just about any filesystem and when sorted alphabetically they are sorted by date too.

HungryHippos · 20 Nov 2020 at 08:52

benjii said:
I'm not a fan of the US format at all, I like ours. For most business and education applications though, I think ISO 8601 is the superior format: 2020-11-20

Agreed, no way of misinterpreting them then as well. Perfect! If we ever start a moon or mars nation that should be the format they go with from the beginning.

Efour · 20 Nov 2020 at 08:57

My pet peav in Sweden they do yank dates.

It's confusing af

peterwalkley · 20 Nov 2020 at 08:58

Those ungrateful colonial peasants can't pronounce aluminium either. Just sayin'.

robfosters · 20 Nov 2020 at 09:07

I’ve come across quite a few idiots over the past 19 years or so who thought the twin towers were attacked on the 9th November

adam cool dude · 20 Nov 2020 at 09:10

My son was born on the eleventh of September. I always keep saying 9/11 by mistake.

Yaayuh! · 20 Nov 2020 at 09:11

peterwalkley said:
Those ungrateful colonial peasants can't pronounce aluminium either. Just sayin'.

It's not the case that they can't pronounce Aluminium, it's the fact they actually spell it Aluminum.

You can blame British chemist Humphry Davy for the confusion.

robj20 · 20 Nov 2020 at 09:25

Talking of dates at work we have to write them like this, 20 Nov 2020. Gets flagged up any other way.

Freakbro · 20 Nov 2020 at 09:38

Shadowness said:
What's the issue with that.

It only becomes stupid when they do it like 11/20/20

(only that date is obvious. It's when its dates like 5/6/20......is that May or June?!)

Yep, I've no problem saying Nov 20th, but I would hate the date having to be written in that format!

Jean-F · 22 Nov 2020 at 11:25

benjii said:
I'm not a fan of the US format at all, I like ours. For most business and education applications though, I think ISO 8601 is the superior format: 2020-11-20

I agree that you have to hesitate and think when faced with the configuration of U.S. dates, but I took a flight years ago from St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands to Nassau, Bahamas on a small passenger plane.
At check-in, the clerk asked my weight, as I guess a smaller plane’s weight distribution or total weight has to be considered.
I answered, “10 stone 13”, and he looked puzzled, so I said, “69 and a bit kilograms?”
He said, “What is that in pounds sir?”
I had to step aside and work it out mentally, 14 lbs = 1 stone, so it’s 10 x 14 = 140 +13, ergo 153 pounds!

potatolord · 22 Nov 2020 at 11:39

benjii said:
I'm not a fan of the US format at all, I like ours. For most business and education applications though, I think ISO 8601 is the superior format: 2020-11-20

Yep, either the ISO way or UK formatting make sense. The us dating system just isn't logical.

Hagar · 22 Nov 2020 at 11:39

Jean-F said:
I agree that you have to hesitate and think when faced with the configuration of U.S. dates, but I took a flight years ago from St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands to Nassau, Bahamas on a small passenger plane.
At check-in, the clerk asked my weight, as I guess a smaller plane’s weight distribution or total weight has to be considered.
I answered, “10 stone 13”, and he looked puzzled, so I said, “69 and a bit kilograms?”
He said, “What is that in pounds sir?”
I had to step aside and work it out mentally, 14 lbs = 1 stone, so it’s 10 x 14 = 140 +13, ergo 153 pounds!

The US has a lot of unique units, I suppose we do in the UK but things like kips, kilo pounds force but also used as 1000 pounds weight. A kind of metric imperial measure. Half a short ton of 2000lbs. The British ton of 2240lbs (20 hundredweight) became the tonne 2200lbs = 1000kg so I suppose we are no better.