I used gldate picker. http://glad.github.io/glDatePicker/

I find it's familiarity calendar display coupled with iphone friendly format strikes a good balance.

How do I choose a date that's 30 odd years ago - a birthdate for example.

You wouldn't want to do that in Things (it's a todo app) - you're most likely not going past next month, at the most. You're right though - this wouldn't be a good replacement calendar picker for every app.