Actually, the one main benefit is that they can be parsed as URLs, both visually and by things like email programs. Compare:
"For the latest blog post, just head to elliottkember."
"For the latest blog post, just head to http://elliottkember.com
The first one makes no sense, while the second is obviously talking about a web URL. I'm sure there are other ways to make this work, but this author's post feels like a solution in search of a problem. At the very least, it's hardly "madness".