I love his minimalism. He loves hacking but he hates devices. He lives in the most natural milieu he can construct.

"I mean the guy no harm, but so much of what he says strikes me as incredibly back-worldly."

No. He approach is incredible modern.

There's some Jobs-ian about it. Steve Jobs ultimately hated devices, because a device embodies the barrier between you and the effect you need. That is why Jobs strove to make devices as small, unobtrusive, and natural as possible.

(I just started purchasing Apple, and have thus only recently began mulling about Steve Jobs's vision.)