The Daily Populous

$2.6 billion later, Magic Leap looks in trouble

At some point AR glasses may go mainstream, but Magic Leap could turn out to be the quintessential example of being ahead of its time.

The much buzzed-about startup, which has raised $2.6 billion to date, looks to have fallen on hard times as sales of its Magic Leap One headset have not even come close to the company's lofty expectations.

According to a report in the The Information, the Florida-based Magic Leap has sold only 6,000 headsets in its since launch, compared to 100,000 units projected.

In addition, Magic Leap has apparently laid off “dozens of people across different departments,” including those in recruiting and engineering.

Magic Leap is reportedly prototyping the Magic Leap 2 that features “5G compatibility, higher quality graphics, a wider field of view, greater depth perception and a smaller and lighter headset that comes in multiple colors”.

In the meantime, Magic Leap may release a shorter-term update to its first headset with minor improvements.

Magic Leap will have a presence at CES 2020, so we may hear some announcements at that show. »

Elon Musk found not liable in 'pedo guy' defamation trial

Authored by cnbc.com

The jury deliberated for only an hour before delivering its verdict in the case, which went to trial earlier this week.

In his testimony during the defamation trial this week, Musk apologized to Unsworth and said he did not believe the cave explorer was a pedophile.

Vernon Unsworth vs. Elon Musk was one of the first major defamation lawsuits --brought by a private individual over a tweet-- to ever go to trial. »

Stephen King Bangs Out ‘The Winds of Winter’ on a Tuesday for Shits and Giggles

Authored by thehardtimes.net

Stephen King Bangs Out ‘The Winds of Winter’ on a Tuesday for Shits and Giggles.

“I had read the first five books and I was just tired of waiting,” King said.

“So, I was in between projects on a rainy day and just spit out about 400,000 words before dinner. »

BPA levels in humans higher than previously thought, study suggests

Authored by upi.com

New research suggests BPA levels in humans are as much as 44 times higher than previously thought.

BPA is used in many plastic products, including food and drink containers, and animal studies have shown that it can interfere with hormones.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration, however, contends human exposure to BPA is at very low, and therefore, safe levels. »

Unpaid $8.41 property tax bill cost Michigan man his house

Authored by cbsnews.com

Rafaeli bought the suburban Detroit house in 2011 for $60,000 and, after the purchase, he underpaid his property tax balance that year, court documents state.

His plan was to build a home on the property, but the 2008 recession led to struggles keeping up on property tax payments, according to court documents.

Officials in Oakland County were allowed to sell those properties under a 1999 Michigan law passed to help reduce residential blight in the state due largely to unpaid property tax bills. »