Hoping for an alternative to the Christmas panto this year? Oh yes you are! Well, look no further than the Gate's production of Anna Karenina, adapted from Tolstoy by Helen Edmundson. Previews start on Thursday, with the opening on December 5th. Call 01-8744045/6042.
SILVER AND GOLDWhen Rachael Naughton, a Dublin solicitor, realised how much outstanding Irish contemporary applied art was going abroad, she decided to change career and open a gallery, to awaken buyers to homegrown talent as well as to international work, including Anna Lorenz, whose Wire Balls creation is pictured above. The Eblana Gallery is at 8 Lower Baggot Street, Dublin 2, 01-6788941, www.eblanagallery.ie. Deirdre McQuillan
HARVEST TIMESHarvest, the Galway-based off-licence chain, holds its annual wine fair tomorrow, with more than 200 bottles to taste, at the city's Radisson SAS Hotel, 2-6pm. Tickets cost €10 from Harvest; proceeds go to Cope, a crisis-housing charity. Joe Breen
POCKET MAPS OF THE FUTUREDo you ever wonder why tourists in Dublin stop to ask for directions so often? Although it might be to hear the inhabitants' delightful accents, it's more likely to be because the city's streets have so few public maps. Wander the streets of many big capitals and you will never be too far from a street map telling you exactly where you are and where the nearest public transport is. Ordnance Survey Ireland's StreetSmart is a high-tech solution to our deficiency, and although it may not be quite ready to take over the world, it sure gives an impression of what the future is going to look like.
StreetSmart puts a searchable Ordnance Survey map of Dublin in your pocket, if your pocket has a compatible smartphone. The maps include hundreds of Fáilte Ireland attractions, such as museums and gardens, with click-to-call phone numbers included. It's mostly restricted to Nokia handsets at the moment, but the ease of use is impressive, even if it might be a bit expensive at €29.99 for the CD version or €49.99 for the memory- card version. If you're a born-and-bred Dub, you probably won't want to be seen consulting your handset to find some obscure street, but for the tech-savvy tourist it beats having to ask locals who haven't a clue anyway. See www.irishmaps.ie. Davin O'Dwyer
HAS ANYBODY SEEN A TAXI?Ever had trouble getting a taxi? Not so long ago I had to get from one side of Dublin to the other during rush hour. No easy feat, especially when every company I called either couldn't do it or didn't even answer the phone. Riffling through the Golden Pages, I came across Xpert Digi Taxis. They answered within seconds and weren't fazed when I relayed my seemingly impossible request. I told them the time I needed to be picked up and, on the button, a car arrived. With a fleet of almost 300 cars, Xpert Digi Taxis is just over a year old. It may be the only taxi company in Ireland that uses GPS technology to track its vehicles. If you call them on your mobile, they can store your details for future reference. All cars have CCTV cameras and panic buttons for safety, and you can book online or pay the driver with your Laser or credit card. They even have uniformed drivers. Call 1890-610610 or log on to www.xperttaxis.com. Eimear McKeith
MINIMISE TO THE MAXReisenthel Mini Maxi canvas bags are great alternatives to paper shopping bags - which, as you've probably had the misfortune to discover, tend to disintegrate in the rain. Unlike most other reusable bags, they fold into tiny pouches, so you can pop them in your handbag or pocket. They come in a range of colours and cost €5, from Habitat. Eimear McKeith
GET SHRUNK, GET SMARTWe keep hearing how children have no interest in science any more, what with all the time they spend playing computer games and the like. Nanoquest, a new computer game, aims to remedy that problem by featuring cutting-edge nanotechnology in its plot. The game features characters shrunk to nano proportions, which is pretty darn small: a human hair is about 80,000 nanometres wide. Hoping to capture the imaginations of the PlayStation generation, the game was developed by Discover Science & Engineering in partnership with the Centre for Research on Adaptive Nanostructures and Nanodevices, at Trinity College in Dublin.
Amid all the staple video-game challenges is plenty of real science, as nanotechnology incorporates aspects of physics, chemistry and biology. Between constructing nanocars from nanotubes, and finding quantum tunnelling wormholes to return to full human size, Nanoquest certainly puts the fun back into science education.
Distributed through schools and GameStop, the game has an online version that anyone can play but that Junior Cert students are also allowed to register on, to compete for the highest score - for a weekly prize of an iPod nano, fittingly enough. See www.nanoquest.ie. Davin O'Dwyer
SETTING NEW BOG STANDARDSIf you're weary of scented candles that smell like air freshener, a company - oddly called Bog Standard - is worth looking out for. The Belfast-based giftware company offers a range of hand-poured candles deliciously scented with fig, lavender and cinnamon, and they also sell linen and soaps. It is the brainchild of 30-year-old Alix Mullholland, who says she spotted a niche in the Irish market between "the lower-priced gimmicky 'leprechaun' gifts that are bought as souvenirs and the higher-end giftware, such as crystal and knitwear". Branding her products "Irish Field", "Irish Moss" or "Irish Hedgerow" is guaranteed to get tourists' imaginations floating away to a Hibernian idyll. The rest of us may wince slightly at twee phrases such as "discover the true scent of Ireland", but the high-quality products speak for themselves. Simple, clean packaging adds to the appeal. Prices start at a reasonable £5.95 (€8.80). See www.bogstandard.ie. Fionola Meredith
HATSTANDING EXHIBITIONMilliners are a rare breed these days, but the recent exhibition of Philip Treacy hats at the National Museum at Collins Barracks seems to have inspired a new generation. A group of children from Fatima Mansions have designed their own series of hats to go on display at the Ark children's cultural centre in Temple Bar, Dublin, from next Tuesday. The display is part of the Butterfly Effect, a retrospective exhibition of work from the Ark's community arts programme Arklink. Hats such as this one, made and modelled by Amanda Bowes, prove that Treacy has plenty of competition on the way.
PERFECT POOCHDogs are more than just a best friend for the many people who have guide dogs: they also offer independence. Independence is also the name of a new book released to celebrate 30 years of Irish Guide Dogs for the Blind (IGDB). It features interviews with more than 100 people involved with the organisation, including Roy Keane, Sonia O'Sullivan and Kieran Kennedy (left) of the Irish Progressive Association for Autism. The book costs €40 in bookstores, or from www.guidedogs.ie.
We misreported the price of a Raymond Weil watch a fortnight ago. It costs €18,200, not €8,200. We hope the extra €10,000 won't put you off.