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(credit: Flickr user: Steve Rhodes)

More than 50 advocacy groups today asked the Federal Communications Commission to stop zero-rating systems implemented by Comcast, AT&T, Verizon Wireless, and T­-Mobile USA.

Zero-rating plans, which exempt certain content from monthly data caps, "enable ISPs to pick winners and losers online or create new tolls for websites and applications," said a letter sent to FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler. "As a result, they present a serious threat to the Open Internet: they distort competition, thwart innovation, threaten free speech, and restrict consumer choice—all harms the rules were meant to prevent."

Letter signers included the Electronic Frontier Foundation, Free Press, MoveOn.org, the Institute for Local Self-Reliance, the New America’s Open Technology Institute, and the Rural Broadband Policy Group.

(credit: Hui Won Yun, Seoul National University)

Diabetes is growing into a global public health crisis, one that places enormous economic burdens on many nations. Once thought of as a disease that typically strikes affluent adults, type 2 diabetes has quickly spread all over the world, indifferent to socioeconomic status or age.

Treatment of type 2 diabetes requires patients to control their blood sugar levels through a mix of dietary restrictions and medication. Unfortunately, following the progress of these efforts is not as easy as it sounds. Glucose-monitoring devices available on the market typically require the user to obtain a small blood sample that can be read to quantify the level of the sugar. A minimally or non-invasive alternative would probably help many patients stay on top of their health.

Recently, a team of scientists have designed a flexible glucose-monitoring device that conforms to the skin and is barely visible. The device contains an array of sensors that are patterned onto gold-doped graphene and connected by a gold mesh. This setup both improves the electrochemical activity of graphene and enhances the biochemical sensitivity of the system.

A Central Texas police department issued a "breaking news alert" on Facebook, cautioning residents that meth and heroin in the Granite Shoals area "could be contaminated with the life-threatening disease Ebola." Last week's fake Facebook alert urged the public "NOT" to ingest those illicit drugs "until it has been properly checked for possible Ebola contamination" by the police department.

The ploy netted one arrest, the Granite Shoals Police Department (GSPD) reported on Facebook. A woman allegedly brought in her meth so the police department could analyze it for Ebola:

This morning, we had our first concerned citizen notify the Granite Shoals Police Department (GSPD) that they believed their methamphetamine may be tainted. Our officers gladly took the item for further testing. Results and booking photos are pending. Please continue to report any possibly tainted methamphetamine or other narcotics to the Granite Shoals Police Department. Public health and safety continue to remain our #1 priority. ‪#‎notkidding‬

For the uninitiated, there are no Ebola-contaminated drugs. The alert was a hoax played on the citizens of Granite Shoals, a town of about 5,000 northwest of Austin. But the arrest of 29-year-old Chastity Eugina Hopson is not a joke. She was accused of possessing under a gram of a controlled substance. The police department described Hopson's arrest as "the winner of the Facebook post challenge."

(credit: Flickr user TheTruthAbout)

Redbox might try its hand at online video streaming again, according to a report from Variety. "Sources familiar with the company’s plans" told the entertainment news site that Redbox is getting ready to launch a new video streaming service called Redbox Digital. One source claims that a beta testing may begin soon.

Details of the Redbox Digital are still nebulous, and the company isn't giving up any more information. A Redbox representative told Variety, “Redbox continually looks for ways to enhance our customer experience. For tens of millions of consumers, Redbox is their source for new release rentals without a subscription. As such, we regularly conduct tests of potential new offerings, that may or may not be brought to market, as part of our ongoing commitment to provide additional value.”

A few design concepts of the service have leaked, showing that Redbox Digital could offer online video rental and purchase options that would be integrated with Redbox's current video offerings. The store would be accessed through Redbox's website through the "Digital" tab, and users could earn "Play Pass" points on each rental or purchase through the company's existing loyalty program. Pricing information isn't certain, but the design renders show different prices for standard-definition video rentals and purchases compared to HD content. Reports also suggest that this service would be integrated into Redbox's mobile apps and compatible streaming devices such as Rokus and Chromecasts, which would make it easier to watch Redbox content from all kinds of devices.

Dell founder and CEO Michael Dell. (credit: Oracle PR)

Dell has agreed to sell its IT services subsidiary, Dell Services, to NTT Data for $3.06 billion. Dell Services is the former Perot Systems, a company founded by Ross Perot; Dell purchased it toward the end of 2009 for $3.9 billion.

Dell, which went private in 2013, is trying to raise money as it prepares to complete a $67 billion acquisition of EMC. NTT Data, the systems integration unit of Tokyo-based Nippon Telegraph and Telephone, announced its acquisition of Dell Services today, noting that it still needs regulatory approval.

NTT praised Dell Services as being "an IT services provider recognized for its depth in vertical industries and for its offerings around infrastructure services, cloud services, application services, and business process outsourcing." But under NTT, Dell Services will benefit from "expanded technology resources" and a network of 230 data centers operated by NTT worldwide, the announcement said. The combined company will give NTT Data a greater presence in North America and focus on customers in health care, financial services, insurance, and government.