Years ago when I was with the PTP(http://www.personaltelco.net) the idea floated about for local content on our servers/hot spots. Even without a connection to the intertubes some of our servers offered the local users a nice Debian mirror, some free and oss items and on a few toyed around with using bon jour/zeroconf/insertwhateveritsbeingcallednow to show what users on the local net had open for sharing. It was great when folks had a little sumtinsumtin to share with those around them, made for some nice examples of the familar stranger effect (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Familiar_stranger)
This project speaks to that idea, of a localized bit of sharing that could with use build up confederations of familiar strangers. This variant of the project requires an old rooted android phone, some free app, and a place to be. Their default SSID might not be the best for general use but it does capture the mood nicely. I have an old DroidOG with a busted screen that wold be perfect for this.
[TUT]Roll Your Own PirateBox! PirateBoxMobile Android Software and Hacking General
