Ashyukun wrote:No- it means I have quicker reflexes than at least some of the people that were there and was able to catch one of the dozen or so hats that were thrown from the stage (along with bags, shirts) to/at the audience.
As I understand it, at each stage of the contest the contestants got a priza package that included a CPU (can't remember what kind, wanna think something 2K+). This means that everyone who was in the 'game show' portion (a total of 8 people, I believe) got a CPU+swag. The two finalists were given yet another for participating in the final competition (irrelevant of how they did). I forget if they were given some parting prize for having actually gotten the computers to post, but not without errors (one actually booted into Windoze in spite of the reversed floppy cable- most of the attendees thought he should have won the cash prize for that).
Well if I'm ever at a con and someone asks, I have tons of t-shirts! Hell, I sometimes go recruit so I get some nice swag to give out then. I'm surprised they gave a model 2XXX. That's definitely a T-bred or higher. Wow!
As for not getting the cash price, I once again refer to "cost cutting"

. Although I am surprised almost no one got it to work. Given I don't know how I would perform with a time limit, but I'd like to think I can do it.