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I think that's a solution looking for a problem.

Payment via bank transfer is also a contract, the dispute resolution is no different. I don't see how a promise note on a piece of paper somehow protects you better than an electronic transfer that is visible to you, the other party, the bank, and to authorities.

Agree. It's like Stockholm Syndrome. It comes across the same as when someone from the US tries to argue that putting the month before the day actually makes sense in dates because then the max values go from lowest to highest (12/31/9999+).

That is the perfect moment to mention ISO 8601 and RFC 3339.

I started using 8601 without even thinking about it for one simple reason. Alphabetical sorting just works with YYYYmmdd

So for example, log20220804.txt

https://xkcd.com/1179/

At the very least, use four digit years, not 22 for 2022.

> ISO 8601 was published on 06/05/88 and most recently amended on 12/01/04.

I've been using that format too for the same reason, without knowing about 8601. Day/Month/Year is great for a person (I'm in Aus) since we, as human beings, intrinsically know what year it is, and probably know what month it is if we haven't been on a bender. But string sorting is so much easier using yyyyMMdd format.

yyyymmdd is incorrect, as pointed out explicitly in the xkcd you linked.

The format is yyyy-mm-dd.

US and non-US date styles are equally wrong. It’s just personal preference or what you are used to. The only “correct” option would be Year Month Day, and the only argument that needs to be made for is look at how your clock arranges time, or how you write it down.

How is the dispute resolution process different with a cheque vs other forms of payment? What do you have to put in the note line that makes this legal requirement? and how is this different than a regular sales contract? I don't know what you would buy for $5k+ that doesn't already have some sort of sales contract which would be legally binding. It's not like you can show up to a dealership with $20k in cash and just drive a car off the lot without signing anything.

I hate using checks. I have little trust in a flimsy piece of paper that you often have to mail to be the method of transaction.

It boggles my mind how checks are still so prevalent. When we have tools like Venmo, Zelle, ACH Transfers, Apple Pay etc.

The few times I've had to use a check (and a cashiers check at that) its been to sign a new lease on an apartment and it is one of the most nerve-racking days I have.

I would absolutely prefer to transact exclusively through digital transfers of any kind.

> I'm sure there's a grandma out there using checks at the grocery store

Someone living in San Francisco excitedly! told me just 1-3 years ago that they could now use some 'photograph your check' feature on their mobile - not 100% sure where the checks were used, but said person was not used to using checks where they came from.. sounds kinda widespread.

I still pay my rent every month per check, and only per check (the landlord insists, I don't mind). I also do occasionally receive checks for very insignificant amounts of money in the mail, e.g. few cents back from insurance or stuff like that. That's always a bit funny.

>> And except for very small grocery purchases ($1-5) cash is pretty rare too

Not in my neighborhood. Only half of the self-checkout machines take cash and there is often a long line for the ones that take cash while some of the ones that only take cards sit unused.

Most grandmas are still writing checks for groceries. It's also not uncommon for people 50+ to 'not trust' debit cards, ATM's, etc as well.

I am in that group but for me it is less about biological age and more about experience.

I have had many experiences with ATM's and ATM networks being offline. Card processors being DDoS'd while I was trying to buy something at the store. Card terminals being hacked and "offline for maintenance". Card terminals offline but nobody knows why. Many of the card terminals here are dirty and won't read the chip. It is not my card, many people have these problems. I have to explain how to clean the readers to the clerks and their managers. When traveling cross-country this is not just an inconvenience, it is a road-trip stopper unless one has cash. Cash does not go offline.

3 days ago I had to help a friend that was stuck at the store with no cash and their card was not working. Their account was fine but the card system was offline for unknown reasons. I gave them cash and we were on our way. Now they know to keep cash on them.

Adding to this is the way ACH/wire transfers work gives me exactly zero confidence in the banking system. Sure, I might be able to eventually get my money back. Banks have the security of a high-school locker sitting in a dark alley as very little information about me is required to empty an account with zero interaction on my part. This information is leaked by online websites from every sector all the time. I just use banks as a small caching/broker system for online transactions and I watch my accounts like a hawk. If banks want to hold more money they need to entirely redesign that system and I know I am definitely not alone in this way of thinking and it isn't just people age 50+. Many in the hacker communities that work for banks are also aware of their vulnerabilities. I was part of that community when I worked for a bank.