Please Place Your Tinfoil Hat Snugly Onto Your Head

[Mercule]

Has anyone noticed strange and curious similarities between the new 4e designs and things they've been doing in their own homebrews?

Indeed I have. Almost all the cosmology and fluff changes are going to make it easier for me to use the core 4E assumptions in my homebrew.

The fact that so many people are saying not just "I'm glad they're moving away from the Great Wheel", but "Hey, that's very similar to my homebrew," is a huge indicator that WotC is very much in touch with what's going on and are doing the right thing.