Yes, the article and the form in which it is exhibited is a PR stunt. However, that doesn't mean it's not practical in any capacity....if you locked this away in a room and never told anyone, it would still hold a utility for the company. Are there alternatives? Sure, but again that doesn't make it impractical.
It's also a fairly novel way to explain to people that `random()` isn't truly random.
It's also a fairly novel way to explain to people that `random()` isn't truly random.