Around the Web 9.16.08: Technology to avert train crashes, fetch unused bandwidth and stage terror

This article was originally on a blog post platform and may be missing photos, graphics or links. See About archive blog posts.

-- Positive train control technology, now being developed, aims to avert crashes like last week’s in Chatsworth. ABC

-- In case its two-week-old Chrome browser isn’t new enough, Google lets you sign up for the newest newest versions meant for developers. Google says the updates, expected weekly, are cutting-edge but less stable. CNet

-- Smart radios can fetch unused bandwidth so music doesn’t play dead. ITnews

-- FluffFriends, a virtual pet application created as a side project by a Google engineer, makes pals with the Social Gaming Network. CNet

-- The Pentagon lays out how World of Warcraft could be used to stage terrorism. Wired

-- Microsoft lands a deal to wirelessly sell songs on the Zune Marketplace at McDonald’s. Wi-Fi Net News

-- TiVo introduces a set-top box with one terabyte of storage (think 150 hours of high-definition TV) and reintroduces the lifetime purchase option. NYT

-- Apple’s Mac sales are slowed by the economy, but the iPod remains strong. Ars Technica

-- Alex Pham