I went looking for an application uniquely Canada in the Apple App Store. It was about the War of 1812 so I started poking around and, what happens often more than I care to admit, I got sidetracked. I’ve always searched by title or concept but was so pleased when I saw this menu in iTunes.
Made in Canada, you say? Pitty. (my apologies to a certain tea company)
I followed the link and found this wonderful brightly red web page.
It should come as no surprise. There are great computer science schools in the country graduating smart programmers; there are lots of media companies and they thrive on reaching their audience in this way; there are great startups located throughout the country.
So, now firmly sidetracked, I started poking around and was very pleased to note that some of the applications that I already have installed are from the Canadian collection. Ever the educator, I poked around in the education category. With all the applications available, there are good reasons to make sure that you’re focusing on Canadian content – the spelling, the actual images of the currency, the museums that are uniquely Canadian…
I would encourage you to poke around yourself. In a great connected world, it’s sometimes difficult, or maybe even necessary, to know where your apps come from. As a Canadian though, you might just feel a little proud of what was developed right here.
And, of course, what teacher’s toolkit would be complete without this one?
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doug --- off the record 
Ah, Doug!
Your penchant for coffee (well-known, and emphasized by your parting shot of the Timmy’s app) has left your well-intentioned opening salvo slightly off-the-mark.
Rather than “Made in Canada,” you will recall upon reflection that the expression was “Only in Canada?” — followed by the beat, and then the reply in the perfected British accent, “Pity!”
Although the geofences put in place by iTunes based on the various regulatory bodies and licensors regulate the music and movies, the availability of Canada-specific apps in the Canadian iTunes Store is probably more by design, rather than by national origin of the designers. I bet “Made for Canada…” would be a more accurate category, though perhaps less rousing from a patriotic standpoint. Checking out the companies behind the apps in the “Made in Canada” category would make for an interesting afternoon’s entertainment.
I’m pretty sure that the aforementioned tea wasn’t farmed here — but rather that the blend was instead specific to what was prepared (or available) for sale in Canada — and clearly intended to suggest that it rivaled or surpassed the British blends.
My current favourite tea blend became known to me several years ago while I was at a conference in Arizona — and I was subsequently pleased to find it available in the local Starbucks, — and now it is sold in the grocery store. I should check to see if the company is Canadian in origin! It could be, but in today’s globally-interconnected-economy, that’s still no guarentee that the tea was grown (made) here!
😉
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