But where the commercial flight industry has been slow to change, NASA seems to be positioning itself as a thought leader. Over the next decade, the space agency will focus on making conventional propulsion systems cleaner, by designing more efficient engines and cutting conventional jet fuel with vegetable oil or biomass-derived fuels. While biofuels do, in theory, emit fewer greenhouse gases than their petroleum-based counterparts, whether they could make a substantial dent in an aircraft’s pollution footprint is, at this point, an open question.

“No emissions data [for alternative fuels] exists at cruise altitude conditions, and fuel effects on plume chemistry and contrails are not known,” NASA writes.

The Norwegian research psychologist Ellen Sandseter, who has published two dozen papers on children and risky sports, describes herself as having been “a sensation-seeking child,” phrasing she prefers to “thrill-seeking.” She was lucky, she says, to have a father who took her skiing and mountain climbing. By the time she was a young adult, she noticed that parenting attitudes were changing, that fewer kids got the opportunities she did, and she resolved to investigate why.

In the 1990s, she says, a program introduced Norwegian teenagers with drug problems to sky diving and other extreme activities. After that, they committed fewer drug offenses, fared better in school and reported being happier. In a later study of 360 high schoolers, Sandseter and a colleague found that those who said their parents encouraged things like rock climbing and kayaking were less prone to criminal and antisocial behaviors like speeding, stealing and vandalism. “If you’ve grown up with a lot of experiences with risky play, this teenage period will be more manageable, you’ll be more realistic in your risk assessment,” Sandseter says.

X Games Austin last year saw the largest audience—160,000 attendees—in the event's history, despite moving the event from late July to early June. TV numbers, according to Nilesen ratings, for X Games Austin reached 32 million viewers, up 10 percent from 2013. One ESPN insider who spoke with VICE Sports said coverage of the debut of video gaming was among the highest trafficked content on XGames.com.

And while the event broadens its reach, some, such as SNOWBOARDER Magazine editor Tom Monterosso, believe value in the event is dependent on storylines.

"X Games has more impact on the core audience than the Olympics," says Monterosso. "The X Games, as far as a core audience is concerned, still has the ability to be a king-making event, like when Danny Davis this year beat Shaun White and won gold. If Shaun wins, the core doesn't necessarily care all that much, but if someone beats Shaun, like Danny did fair and square, it matters."

Scheindlin’s decision, which you can read here, finds that essentially all members of the class of consumers in the market for MLB or NHL content have the same alleged injury due to the antiquated blackout system that denies fans a la carte access to teams outside their league-mandated local market.

After the crash, a group of high-powered officials and IndyCar players including Team Penske owner Roger Penske, Team Penske president Tim Cindric, Chip Ganassi Racing managing director Mike Hull, IndyCar CEO Mark Miles and IndyCar president of operations and competition Derrick Walker were seen gathering, along with Carpenter. That group later expanded to include Honda and team owner Michael Andretti, among others in the IndyCar trailer. The group met—in different incarnations—for a couple of hours before Miles and Walker announced the changes.

“Safe to say,” changes will be mandated for the Chevrolets soon, said Cindric, who noted there were different opinions in the room and Team Penske had its own. Ultimately, the decision on what to do – and change, and when – is up to IndyCar.