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Most employers would probably prefer it if you spent less time on Facebook, not more. Not so with the fine folks at the Delhi Traffic Police. As you can see, DTP has picked up quite a following on Facebook. (Yes, they’re on Twitter too…). Turns out that what started as a way to communicate traffic problems to the residents of Delhi has turned into a hive of informants! Delhi drivers are finding the Facebook page to be the perfect outlet to, well, rat on their non-law-abiding fellow drivers.

But does all this openness on the part of the authorities come at a price? We get the story from Delhi in this week’s episode. My favorite quote: “I don’t know about traffic offenders, but I’m quite sure that Delhi policemen need a bit of Big Brother watching.”

Also in this episode, we take an in-depth look at the proposed BlackBerry bans in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. And we hear about two projects in Finland that hope to harvest the heat generated by data centers, and use it to heat local water supplies. And we’ll end with news from Birmingham, England, where some schools are turning to software called The Talking Tutor to help teach their multi-lingual classes. Speaking of language, I (along with Science podcast goddess Rhitu Chatterjee) recently made an appearance on Patrick Cox’s World in Words language podcast. Be sure to check it out!

Here are some helpful links for WTP 298:

• BBC: Saudi gives BlackBerry reprieve
• BBC: Untangling the BlackBerry ban
• The Guardian: Helsinki data centre to heat homes
• More on Talking Tutor

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