I'm sad I didn't get to participate in this "challenge" - this is the first I've heard of it. Otoh, it looks like it boiled down to something very uninteresting, in that it didn't really hinge on any analysis, it was just nonsense data.
You couldn't. You had to literally be there to get access. It was an in-person event with some people deemed to "be worthy enough" to get their hands on "the data".
I just hope that some kid got their college paid for, by selling this crap to Mike in the first place :D
