It's highly debated, but track sprinters used to believe it made the wheel stiffer and torsionally (is that a word?) stronger. Despite Steppinthefunk's concerns, the spokes can be individually tightened.

The upsides are stiffness (arguably) and it holds the spokes in place should one break. The only downside is the weight of the wire and solder. I think CC is offering it for nostalgic reasons, though. It's a fad that fizzled out in the 80's.