I think he's just having fun being irreverent and silly. Within the larger academic community Thunderf00t isn't some intellectual titan, he's just yet another guy with a PhD. From an academic perspective, I'd think that having a strong youtube following is like being king of the rats.

However, I would absolutely agree with you that Thunderf00t is adequately qualified to make most of the criticism that he has made in a variety of his debunking videos. Thunderf00t is doing our culture a valuable service by debunking that ridiculous re-breather apparatus, 'solar freakin roadways', and the allegedly endless water bottle. Its sad that people are so ignorant of basic science that they are taken in by this snake oil.