1179: ISO 8601

2013-02-27T11:01:06Z

50.142.229.82: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 1179
| date = February 27, 2013
| title = ISO 8601
| image = iso_8601.png
| titletext = ISO 8601 was published on 06/05/88 and most recently amended on 12/01/04.
}}

==Explanation==
The two most commonly used date formats in the world are {{w|Date format by country|dd.mm.yyyy and mm/dd/yyyy}} (the symbols separating the values, as well as the year being 2 or 4 digits notwithstanding). These differences are often causes for debate. However, the comic explains that the {{w|International Organization for Standardization}} (ISO) has standardized dates in the yyyy-mm-dd format, in its {{w|ISO 8601}} standard.

The comic then lists many formats as "discouraged". This list starts with commonly used formats, which include the two above as well as other commonly used ones, such as dd/mm/yy. However the list then starts listing formats ranging from uncommon to absurd, such as writing the date partly in Roman numerals and painting the date in m/d/yy format with white paint onto a hissing black cat.

The title text mentions two dates in either the dd/mm/yy format or the mm/dd/yy format, but because the day values in both dates are less than 13, the format used is unclear. (The standard was published on 5 June 1988 and amended on 1 December 2004.) <-- Yet another date format.

The other mentioned formats are:
*02/27/2013 (mm/dd/yyy, mostly in the US)
*02/27/13 (mm/dd/yy)
*27/02/2013 (dd/mm/yyyy, e.g. in South America and Canada)
*27/02/13 (dd/mm/yy)
*20130227 (yyyymmdd)
*2013.02.27 (yyyy.mm.dd)
*27.02.13 (dd.mm.yy, e.g. in Germany)
*27-02-13 (dd-mm-yy)
*2013. II. 27. (yyyy. mm. dd., month as {{w|Roman number}})
*27⁄2-13 (d⁄m-yy)
*2013.158904109 (year and decimal fraction of year – 58/365, February 27 being the 58th day of the year)
*MMXII-II-XXVII (year-month-day in Roman numerals, but for 2012-02-27)
*MMXII [and] LVII [over] CCLXV (year and 57/265, probably should have been 58/365 as above?)
*1330300800 ({{w|Unix time|UNIX Timestamp}}, but for 2012-02-27)
*((3+3)×(111+1)-1)×3/3-1/33 (year/month/day with the parts written as arithmetic expressions)
*27 [''over''] 02 [''over''] 2013
*10/11011/1101 (mm/dd/yy in {{w|Binary number|binary}})
*02/27/20/13 (mm/dd/yy/yy)
*0 [2,5] 1 [3] 2 [1,6,7] 3 [4] 7 [8] (the big 01237 digits are used at positions listed above and below: 0 is used at positions 2 and 5, 1 is used on position 3, etc.; the result being 20130227)
*''A cat, with the numerals'' 2-27-13 ''painted on it, going'' HISSSS

==Transcript==
:Public Service Announcement:

:Our different ways of writing dates as numbers can lead to online confusion. That's why in 1988 ISO set a global standard numeric date format. This is '''''the''''' correct way to write numeric dates:

:2013-02-27

:The following formats are therefore discouraged:
*02/27/2013
*02/27/13
*27/02/2013
*27/02/13
*20130227
*2013.02.27
*27.02.13
*27-02-13
*2013. II. 27.
*27⁄2-13
*2013.158904109
*MMXII-II-XXVII
*MMXII [and] LVII [over] CCLXV
*1330300800
*((3+3)×(111+1)-1)×3/3-1/33
*27 [''written on top of''] 02 [''written on top of''] 2013
*10/11011/1101
*02/27/20/13
*0 [2,5] 1 [3] 2 [1,6,7] 3 [4] 7 [8]
*''A cat, with the numerals'' 2-27-13 ''painted on it, going'' HISSSS

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1179: ISO 8601