The Morning After: The mystery of Virginia's TV Man

This Thursday, we're trying to unravel the mystery of TV man, fight the robocall fight and see T-Mobile and Sprint's merger creep closer to a conclusion. The FCC boss likes it -- what could possibly go wrong?

Questions for TV Man.

Why is someone leaving old TVs on porches in Virginia?

Residents in Virginia remain bewildered after a mysterious person with a TV on their head placed out-dated televisions on the doorsteps of more than 50 homes in Henrico County. Police have yet to identify the person behind the screen, even though he (or she) was spotted in action by several doorbell cameras. We have so many questions.

Nest Hello doorbells and Dropcams will also be affected.

Google Nest camera users can no longer disable the status light

Oddly connected to the story above, Google has sent an email notifying existing Nest camera, Nest Hello doorbell and Dropcam owners that they can no longer disable their devices' status light. It was previously possible to switch off those security devices' status lights to prevent them from being spotted in a dark room, keeping them hidden from, say, home invaders. Google says the move is connected to its privacy policy.

What's illegal, what's not and what you can do to get rid of them.What to do when the robocalls won't stop

You recognize it the moment you pick up the phone. The quiet beat before a clearly prerecorded message speaks ominously about your social security number getting canceled. Or perhaps it's a call trying to sell you health insurance or a vacation. Either way, you've been hit by a robocall, and you're not alone. YouMail, which makes robocall-blocking software, estimates that Americans received 47.8 billion robocalls in 2018.

The FCC says that US consumers receive 350,000 unwanted calls every three minutes, and of those calls, a whopping 47 percent are illegal scams. Knowing all of this, what can consumers do? Thankfully, there are several safeguards in place -- Nicole Lee runs through the options.

He already said he'd ask commissioners to greenlight the deal.
FCC chairman Ajit Pai endorses T-Mobile / Sprint merger

The proposed merger of Sprint and T-Mobile is inching ever closer to completion after the Department of Justice gave its conditional endorsement last month. Now, Federal Communications Commission chairman Ajit Pai is formally recommending that the agency's commissioners approve the deal. Pai claims the combined capabilities of Sprint and T-Mobile will speed up the deployment of a 5G network. The order requires Sprint and T-Mobile to provide 5G coverage to 99 percent of Americans within six years.

Pai's recommendation is not much of a surprise. He's been open about his support for the deal, believing it to be "in the public interest."

Changes are coming, but they might not be big enough for teams like Renault.Formula 1's underdogs struggle with the technical challenges of the sport

As Renault approached the French Grand Prix, a lot was at stake. The race was on the team's home turf, at a make-or-break point in the season. Nobody was panicking. Yet. Despite having won twice in 2018 with Red Bull, new driver Daniel Ricciardo knew what he had signed on for with Renault. The team was ready: It came in with both engine and chassis changes.

But the Paul Ricard circuit at Castellet in France was not the best test for Renault. On a high-speed track that rewarded horsepower and aerodynamic downforce, Mercedes, Ferrari and other rich, top-tier teams dominated. While Hulkenberg finished in the points, he (and nearly all other teams) were literally lapped by Lewis Hamilton. In the end, it was a dull race for the few fans that did attend and another disappointment for Renault. Here's how an upcoming F1 team saw a promising season go so wrong.

Marie Kondo would approve.The tech you need to declutter your academic life

Japanese decluttering extraordinaire Marie Kondo has inspired many to get rid of unnecessary junk in their homes. As it turns out, clearing away stuff that doesn't "spark joy," per the MariKon program, can actually help you feel good about your life. Having less mess is not only good for general well-being but can also make you more productive at school. Our goal is to give you all the tools you need to succeed at school without anything extraneous dragging you down.

But wait, there's more...

• The fitness gadgets and apps you should be using at school

• Porsche's Cayenne E-Hybrid is the company's 'just right' SUV

• NASA chooses four potential asteroid sample sites for OSIRIS-REx

• Misfit's Vapor X smartwatch boasts longer battery life and Spotify

• Massive biometric security flaw exposed more than one million fingerprints

The Morning After is a new daily newsletter from Engadget designed to help you fight off FOMO. Who knows what you'll miss if you don't Subscribe.

Craving even more? Like us on Facebook or Follow us on Twitter.

Have a suggestion on how we can improve The Morning After? Send us a note.