Ring Doorbell Footage TV Show Gets Green Light

Ring Nation will consist of half-hour episodes made up of Ring doorbell footage and commentary by comedian Wanda Sykes. Viewers can expect the same funny, bizarre, and heartwarming footage they’d typically find racking up views on Facebook or TikTok. Think quirky animals, neighborly antics, and heroic delivery drivers (AKA the feel-good content you may have grown up watching on America’s Funniest Home Videos). The first episode will premiere September 26. Though Amazon has not yet announced where viewers will be able to watch Ring Nation, many suspect it’ll end up on Amazon Prime Video for obvious reasons.

Amazon says many of the videos that will appear on Ring Nation have already been shared online. Others have been sent to the Ring Nation team directly. According to Amazon spokesperson Nick Schweers, the team obtains permission from the owner of the Ring camera and from anyone depicted in the video prior to adding footage to the show’s lineup.

This might be of little comfort to anyone familiar with Ring’s relentless privacy blunders. As it’s gained popularity among homeowners, Ring has fostered an infamously close relationship with law enforcement, often sharing footage with police without a warrant or the device owner’s consent. Ring’s oddly casual tendency to put police interests over those of its users has become so concerning that Massachusetts Senator Ed Markey has formally requested the company adopt new ethical standards and clarify its “ever-expanding relationship with American police.” Unsurprisingly, Ring did not agree to adopt these standards, nor did it provide significant context to its transactions with police (who coincidentally have been caught acting as official brand ambassadors for the company).

It’s odd, then, to see Ring developing such a happy-go-lucky new entertainment product just as the public’s skepticism of the brand is increasing. It’s almost as if Ring needs something new to pop up when you Google its name.

“Bringing the new community together is core to our mission at Ring, and Ring Nation gives friends and family a fun new way to enjoy time with one another,” Jamie Siminoff, one of the show’s executive producers, told Deadline. Do producers usually have to say what a TV show is for?

Continue reading

Apple’s New M1 SoC Looks Great, Is Not Faster Than 98 Percent of PC Laptops

Apple's new M1 silicon really looks amazing, but it isn't faster than 98 percent of the PCs sold last year, despite what the company claims.

Don’t Miss This Week’s Great Conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn

The two planets will appear closest together on Monday, December 21, the day of the Winter Solstice, when—depending on your eyesight—they may seem to briefly merge into a single bright point of light before drawing apart again.

Google Told Stadia Developers They Were Making ‘Great Progress,’ Then Fired Them

Google told its Stadia developers they were making "great progress." Then it fired them, less than a week later.

John Deere Fails to Uphold Right to Repair Agreement Signed in 2018

Back in 2018, John Deere struck a voluntary agreement in which it would provide manuals, training, and diagnostic software for tractors available to purchase by January 1, 2021. The company does not appear to have done so, or to have plans to do so in the near future.