@tk Started going to #SELF (Southeast Linux Fest) a few years ago and it turns out that #ESR (Eric in the comic for the ill-informed) is actually a pretty cool guy. He's got less hair and is definitely older now, but his talks fill the room.
Agree or disagree with the man as you will, but he's a thinker. He's putting a lot of time and thought into the opinions he forms and he's not afraid to change his mind if the evidence dictates it.