In this paper, the author discusses the challenges of expressing time suitable for humans and presents a solution, the LOCAL-TIME concept, in Common Lisp. The author delves into the differences between scientific time, like Coordinated Universal Time (UTC), and political time, influenced by decisions like daylight saving time. The author highlights the impact of language on how we perceive time, from naming conventions to notation inconsistencies across cultures. The paper emphasizes the need for a standardized language-neutral notation, advocating for the use of ISO 8601 in handling relative times and absolute positions in time. The paper concludes by proposing a standardized extended format using ISO 8601 to address these issues.
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