You've touched on why the average user isn't switching. The is no Linux operating system. There are over 600 different distros, according to a quick search, and the typical advice is to try several to figure out what you like. That's not going to fly with someone who doesn't enjoy playing with operating systems.
That only works when there's enough work; the entire proposition is that there won't be enough work for everyone. Are you suggesting we make useless work to pay people for? Have one team dig holes and another fill them in?
Yep, to form an image, you'd need to add an ir lens some distance in front of the novel material to project an image onto it, and then another optical lens to present the result to the eye. Goggles made this way would still have some significant advantages, namely no power requirements and probably a smaller, lighter package.
I never noticed a change in my sense of smell, but my face went numb a couple times. A few days later I noticed the music I was listening to and the sunset I watched were both unusually euphoric, probably indicating regrowth in my brain.