A Revival of the Half-Shekel Commandment (Exod 30:15)

Interesting story here about one man's attempt to revive the half-shekel commandment found in Exodus 30:15. This includes minting new coins. But much of the process appears to be more traditional than biblical. Also, the article states that, "it is forbidden by Torah law to actually count Jews," but doesn't the Torah itself contain sanctioned censuses in Numbers 1 and 26. Maybe I am missing something here.