Sure its horrible to use. But it does the job, and is directly part of US Treasury auctions, so the prices are provably fair.
Brokerages will skim off a bit off the top when they sell you a treasury. In contrast, TreasuryDirect is direct-from-auction, with the fairest prices possible.
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Besides, its not like a notarized snail-mail form is that hard to accomplish. Back in the day, that was the only way to get any official business done.
Your local bank probably has a notary on hand to sign the appropriate form. If not, look up your Yellow Pages for the nearest notary.