Three computer scientists are hoping to turn London"s Underground subway system into a thriving network for sharing music unencumbered by copyright. The project, London Undersound, would let commuters download and upload tracks to each other via Bluetooth and Wi-Fi, said Joanne Brewer, a doctoral student in informatics at the University of California at Irvine, who is currently doing research in London.
London"s Underground subway system is a dead zone for mobile phones. No signals penetrate the grimy 19th century tunnels and there are no transponders within to allow calls or text messages. Nonetheless, people still tap away on their mobiles offline, composing text messages and playing games, Brewer said.