I think the answer to the mystery is found the final paragraph of Nicholas Bakalar’s story:

Over all, there may be another factor contributing to the long lives of players: Major League Baseball has a robust retirement program, regarded as among the most generous in professional sports. Players get substantial pensions even after spending just a few months in the big leagues, and all players qualify for full medical benefits beginning on the first day they join a team.

I am a sucker for any article about baseball that isn’t about trades or the pennant race.

It’s amazing how much faster LTE is after 10:00 PM.

David Segal’s article poses the question. I hope the answer is yes.

Barnes & Noble has been sliding toward oblivion for years. Nearly 400 stores have closed since 1997 — there are 627 now operating — and $1 billion in market value has evaporated in the last five years. This week, Elliott Advisors, the private equity firm that owns Waterstones, closed its deal to buy Barnes & Noble for $683 million. Mr. Daunt will move to New York City this month and serve as the new chief executive.

I have lots of fond memories of Barnes & Noble over the years—despite the fact that I liked Borders even better. My wife and kids still like it, so we go to the one closest to us pretty often. It is, in many ways, a sad, pale shadow of its former self. The Nook section is large and empty. It is easier to find toys in there than books. I don’t really understand why they still sell so many DVDs and CDs in the back.

“Frankly, at the moment you want to love Barnes & Noble, but when you leave the store you feel mildly betrayed,” Mr. Daunt said over lunch at a Japanese restaurant near his office in Piccadilly Circus. “Not massively, but mildly. It’s a bit ugly — there’s piles of crap around the place. It all feels a bit unloved, the booksellers look a bit miserable, it’s all a bit run down.

I keep wondering when our local store will shut its doors, though I don’t want it to. I am eager for a turnaround.

I really enjoyed this profile of Nicholas Cage, by David Marchese.

I wanted to know why Cage, Hollywood’s greatest surrealist, whose personal and creative unpredictability has led him to attain near-mythological status in certain corners of the internet, acts in so many movies — 20 in the last two years — and why so few of them make mainstream ripples. (His most recent release: the straightforwardly titled thriller “A Score to Settle.”) But mostly I wanted to know the method behind the seeming madness that informs so many of his performances.

It is a pretty fascinating read, even if, like me, you only have a casual familiarity with Nick Cage’s work.

The best part of vacation packing this year is not having to find a place for a massive stroller in the trunk of our car.

Monmouth County Fair

From Alex Health in The Information:

In a big shift, Facebook plans to signal its control of Instagram and WhatsApp by adding its name to both apps, according to three people familiar with the matter. The social network will rebrand the apps to “Instagram from Facebook” and “WhatsApp from Facebook,” the people said.

This is bound to end badly for Facebook. I can think of no one who thinks Facebook is a strong brand, let alone stronger than Instagram or WhatsApp.

🎵 The New Pornographers are releasing a new album on September 27 (via Jazz Monroe of Pitchfork). I love this band, and I love the music of one of their members, Neko Case, even more.

I am trying something new with Apple organization: Three apps in the home row instead of four, and only productivity related apps (and audio apps, which I use all the time) on the first screen. It is no longer organized based solely on what I use most, but what I need to get to the most quickly, when I need it.

My wife and I learned today that my two-year-old son has severe peanut allergies. My daughter does too, so at least we know what to do, but it is very unfortunate news. It is a deadly serious condition. There are so many foods that peanut allergy suffers can’t eat—most of which don’t even have peanuts in them, but are processed on equipment that also processes peanuts—that most packaged foods are disallowed. Most candy is unsafe. Hard ice cream, at restaurants and ice cream places, isn’t safe either, because it or the scoops used to scoop it get cross-contaminated with peanuts. Fortunately, we have found some peanut-free sources for foods like chocolate, and can bake our own treats at home. With two peanut-allergy-having kids, I think I’m going to be baking a lot of cakes at home from now on (for every birthday party, ever), and learning how to make things like chocolate candy and maybe even homemade ice cream.

Seeing this article, by Michael Cooper, today, a couple days before I leave on vacation, made me really miss visiting the Berkshires in Western Massachusetts:

For more than 80 years, Tanglewood, the bucolic summer home of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, has made the Berkshires a vital destination for classical music.

Now it is getting into the talk business, too.

Listening to classical music, at and after sunset, on Tanglewood’s great lawn is one of my fondest memories. Going to see a lecture there would be fun, too, I guess.

Monmouth County Fair

A giant of Broadway theatre has died:

Hal Prince, Giant of Broadway and Reaper of Tonys, Dies at 91 - The New York Times

Monmouth County Fair

Monmouth County Fair

From what I have heard of Sleater-Kinney’s new album, “The Center Won’t Hold”, it certainly sounds different than their older stuff. This arcticle, by Melena Rezwik, in the New York Times, provides some context why:

Since its self-titled 1995 debut, Sleater-Kinney has been revered as one of indie rock’s most musically fierce and lyrically sharp bands, cutting a path for passionate musicians who refuse to check their politics or their emotions at the club door. The band’s signature sound — Brownstein and Tucker’s guitars and vocals winding around each other in stinging counterpoint, anchored by Weiss’s deft, thundering drumming — always relied on its precise chemistry. On the eve of its ninth studio album, Sleater-Kinney is now skimmed down to its founding duo, Tucker, 46, and Brownstein, 44.

Sleater-Kinney was a big part of the soundtrack to my 20s and early 30s. They were magnificent, and I am happy they are still making music, even if they are now down a member. I can’t wait for their entire new album to drop on August 16.

I wish TidBITS posted more content, because their site loads so damn fast.

G&T

I am wondering right now whether a gin-and-tonic is in my near future or my far future.

Mimi Swartz, for the New York Times, ponders something I have been wondering about, too.

The once obscure congressman from El Paso who brought in an astounding nearly $80 million in his Senate race reported a measly $3.6 million, way down from his $9.4 million in the first quarter. Jay Inslee is gaining on him. How did this happen? Many answers lie in the difference between running for office in Texas and running nationally. The first showed all of Mr. O’Rourke’s strengths, and the second each and every weakness.

In my opinion, Beto is running the wrong race. I think he would have a legitimate shot at winning Cornyn’s senate seat in Texas, and that he has wasted valuable time pursuing the presidency.

Oh, another big data breach. Just wondering, does anybody pay for their own credit monitoring? I have had “free” credit monitoring for years, all paid for by companies that should have been keeping my data more secure.

My wife and I worked on packing clothes for our vacation—starting Saturday. We are really ahead of schedule this year! Or, at least I am. My wife needs a whole week to pack for herself and our two kids.

Monmouth County Fair

The Monmouth County (New Jersey) Fair

Via The Verge:

Sony may have only released the RX100 VI last year, but the company is already back with an updated model called the RX100 VII.

I am excited to see that Sony is still revving its RX100 camera. I have an RX100 Mark I, which I don’t use too much any more, since I got a micro 4/3 camera, but I still love it. It takes great pictures, is incredibly versatile, and fits in a relatively tiny belt-loop holster case, so I can take it anywhere. It may be slower than a smartphone camera, and have fewer features than a more recent model, but it still takes great pictures, and is pretty easy to use as well.

The RX100 VII will be available later in August 2019 for $1,200 for the camera alone. Later in 2019, the aforementioned Shooting Grip Kit bundle will be available for $1,300. It will be available for preorder at B&H Photo and Adorama later today.

It’s an over-$1,000 pocket camera, though, which is a market segment that sounds like it shouldn’t even exist. I bought my Mark I used for $300, right after the RX-100 Mark II was released. Since then, owners have been more keen on selling their old ones for much higher prices, which has kept me from upgrading. Maybe someday I will pick up one from a few generations back.