So we are electing a new president. What should it mean for us, the millions of Filipinos found all over the archipelago, and in most corners of the world? Would it be sane for us to expect anything good to come out of this ongoing political circus? Or should we brace ourselves for more of the same?

Well, as the old and wise kibitzers from my old barangay are fond of saying, hope for the best, expect the worst.

Nook and Crannies
Giant book retailer Barnes and Noble released the Nook electronic book reader in the U.S. market. In October last year, the company actually began selling the ebook reader on its Web site. The company, however, had to postpone some shipments because the Nook devices sold out.

Barnes and Noble, which owns more than 700 bookstores in the U.S., is selling the Nook at 259 dollars. The Nook competes with the Kindle and a growing list of ebook readers that includes the iPad from Apple.

Mate, That Hurts
Nintendo, maker of the Wii gaming console, said it had settled a lawsuit against a man in Australia who illegally uploaded a copy of the New Super Mario Bros. game on the Internet. The man has reportedly agreed to pay the company 1.3 million in U.S. dollars as part of the settlement deal.

Nintendo said the Australian man purchased the computer game before its international release date. Apparently, a local retailer made the game available earlier than scheduled. The man then hacked the game and later made it available online, causing millions in sales revenue down the drain.

Robot Actress in Korea
The robot EveR-3, or Eve Robot 3, appeared in starring roles in various dramas in South Korea last year. Its most noteworthy appearance was in the theater production “Robot Princess and the Seven Dwarfs.”

Standing five feet and two inches, the robot can speak in both Korean and English, and can do a total of 16 facial expressions, notably a lot more than some actors appearing in Koreanovelas can. Well, this can have some serious implications for some showbiz personalities’ use of the phrase “acting like a robot” to describe a thespian-challenged actor.

3D Blu-ray
Sony recently added a 3D-ready model to its lineup of Blu-ray players. The BDP-S470 can be upgraded to play Blu-ray 3D content courtesy of a firmware update coming this summer. Sony also said that some previous Blu-ray players are similarly upgradeable. Aside from playing 3D content, the Blu-ray players can stream movies, videos, music and more from online vendors and Web sites. Great, now most consumers have a lot more of interesting gadgets and devices they cannot afford. That’s all for the meantime, folks. Join me again next time as we keep on watching IT.