I'm always a bit nervous when people talk about ISO8601, given that very few people have probably read the spec, and are likely guessing as to its content.
I agree. The main barrier to actually reading the ISO8601 spec is that it costs money, and is not cheap (if memory services its ~$150), leaving people to read the draft specs (which are harder to get a hold of in their full form) or the Wikipedia entry.
I'm always a bit nervous when people talk about ISO8601, given that very few people have probably read the spec, and are likely guessing as to its content.