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СпутникиРНSpaceXРоскосмосNASAI’ve always felt that the in-store FAQ “What’s your favourite book?” is way too personal and my reflexive answer is “None of your business!” Perhaps I’ll eventually receive the therapy required to field this question with grace, but it currently remains a professional weak spot. On the other hand, I am a little surprised that none of you Nosey Parkers ever asks “So what kinds of books do you collect?” which is a fun question and feels somehow less extractive. In honour of Canada Day I will ask and answer my own question: I sometimes collect publications related to the Canadian metrication movement, the period from 1970 to 1985 when Canada moved from imperial measurements to the metric system. A few are pictured above. They represent a progressive and scientific movement away from imperial systems and American hegemony, they are practical, often domestic in scope and cleverly designed. And since no one else seems to collect them they are cheap, but ephemeral and so rather scarce. If one were to follow up with a few more rather prying personal inquiries (“What is your ideal sleeping temperature? And how tall are you?”) the answers (“17 Celsius” and “5 foot 6 and a half”) would indicate that the work of metrication in Canada is only half done. Being Canadian is a conundrum for many reasons, but looking back on this kind of material history gives context and definition to an inchoate identity. As an aside, there was an ancient graffiti on the breakwater near my childhood home that read “METRIC SUCKS! SO DOES TRUDEAU!!” - the dance of progress with history is sometimes just a funny shuffle forwards and back, round and round. Eventually it was erased by years of battering waves. Maybe you came here with a more objectively answerable question: “are you open on Canada Day?” And if you’ve read this far, you deserve a straightforward answer: Yes. Indeed we are. 10-6 as usual. Run don’t walk, but if you have to drive, the speed limit is 30km/hr.