President Obama just became the first sitting president to travel from the White House to the big house and visit a federal prison to make the case -- one that seems to have some bipartisan agreement -- that it's time to take a hard look at the hard time the American justice system serves out to thousands of non-violent drug offenders, many (mostly Blacks and Hispanics) of whom are doing life in prison for crimes that, if committed today, wouldn't result in nearly such a harsh sentence often served in dangerous, over-crowded jails which focus exclusively on punishment and do little to rehabilitate offenders or give them a shot to succeed if they do get out and make an attempt at a productive life. In other words, America has a run-on sentence problem even more obvious than the one you just read. The NYT on Obama's prison visit and his message: "We should not tolerate conditions in prison that have no place in any civilized country. We should not be tolerating overcrowding in prison. We should not be tolerating gang activity in prison. We should not be tolerating rape in prison."

+ Obama also called for released felons to be able to vote and for an end to excessive solitary confinement. In a speech to the NAACP, he sounded a personal note: "I see those young men on street corners, and eventually, in prisons. And I think to myself, they could be me. That the main difference between me and them is that I had a more forgiving environment, so that when I slipped up, when I made a mistake, I had a second chance, and they've got no margin for error."

"Sharanda Jones -- prisoner 33177-077 -- struggled to describe the moment in 1999 when a federal judge sentenced her to life in prison after her conviction on a single cocaine offense. She was a first-time, nonviolent offender." Jones was not innocent. She committed a crime. But she's done 16 years in prison, and she's got a lifetime to go. You should read this piece by WaPo's Sari Horowitz: From a first arrest to a life sentence.

+ "Carlos and Roby are two ex-convicts with a simple mission: picking up inmates on the day they're released from prison and guiding them through a changed world." From Jon Mooallem in the NYT Mag: You just got out of prison. now what?

Most of us are staunch defenders of free and open speech online. But in practice, that value can be complicated. And, in the age of social media-driven terror campaigns, many executives at your favorite social networks are finding it hard to decide where to draw the line.

How much is a hundred dollars worth? That's not a math question, it's a geography test. CityLab looks at how much $100 buys in different cities across the U.S. "Despite the fact the the average income in Mississippi is roughly $10,000 less than that in San Francisco, purchasing power in Mississippi communities is nearly 45 percent greater."

Let the arguing commence. The Emmy nominations have been announced and Game of Thrones was the leader with 24 nominations. Here's the full list of nominees. A couple perfomances worth noting: Do not miss Ben Mendelsohn's remarkable perfomance in Bloodline, and Olive Kitteridge was a tremendous work.

+ Of course, Mad Men, with its perfect final season and finale should get the credit it deserves. And hopefully, this will finally be the year Jon Hamm gets a win. (It's about time something went right for that guy...)

+ And everyone's favorite category: The Snubs. (Of course, as I like to remind people each year, Two and a Half Men has nine trophies and The Wire has none)

+ And in other TV news, after spending "the past month and a half in thoughtful consideration," TLC has canceled 19 Kids and Counting.

"Would there be an iPhone without Nintendo DS? Maybe. Maybe not. But it is where touchscreen gaming as we know it now was born. And today, everyone is a gamer, demographically speaking." Nintendo's Satoru Iwata died of cancer last week. Wired's Chris Kohler describes what might be his greatest legacy.

Bend your knees. Tighten your abs. And don't forget to put on your power-assisted suit. Strapping on a powered exoskeleton before doing heavy labor or lifting large items might soon be commonplace. From MIT Tech Review: The Exoskeletons Are Coming.

Google used to be for searching the Internet. Now, it's for searching Google. Maybe that's why Google is hiring an SEO manager to improve its rankings in Google.

+ A sign of the future of Google search: A buy button in the results.

Yesterday I mentioned that Spinach probably looks at Kale the way Britney Spears looks at Taylor Swift. Sooner or later, all foods lose their pop star status. Consider the case of cottage cheese and its replacement at the top of the charts by Greek yogurt.

+ Food trends change. So do marketing messages. There was a time when one the benefits that Pepsi touted was its abundance of calories -- even more than a lamb chop.

The price of a wedding has gotten out of control. And I'm not talking about the people who are getting married. The average cost of attending a wedding is close to $700.

+ Stand clear of closing doors. Meet the most recognizable voice in NYC.

+ Marshall (of amp fame) just introduced a new cell phone.

+ Caitlyn Jenner got all the coverage, but Ronda Rousey may have won the Espys.