Mojang has recently announced Minecraft: Blast, a mobile game based on the block-shaped world, in collaboration with Candy Crush developer King. So, it comes as no surprise that gamers want to know how they can get their hands on this title ahead of its release. Here’s how you can play Minecraft: Blast early. Players can access Minecraft: Blast early by signing up for the playtest Mojang has joined hands with Candy Crush creator King to create Minecraft: Blast, a free-to-play mobile game that will combine modern match puzzle gameplay with ever-evolving scenarios set in a Minecraft-themed world. Just like Candy Crush, it will offer easy-to-jump-in and play sessions as well as the ability to craft engaging Minecraft-style spaces. So, it comes as no surprise that gamers are looking for ways to get their hands on the title and play it ahead of release. The developers are currently set to roll out a limited playtest in Malaysia and Canada, with the promise of more regions in the future. The first playtest will be available to iOS users in English for Malaysia and in English and French for Canada. Players will be able to sign up using the Beta link when it is released on the official website. Once the playtest is announced, players will simply need to click the link and follow these steps: Download and install the TestFlight app from the App Store and then open the Minecraft: Blast preview’s listing link. It is recommended to ensure there are free slots available for signing up for the build. Sign up for the beta and preview using your registered Microsoft account. Now, wait till you receive an email on your linked ID with links to access the preview build. Next, open the email and select the “View in TestFlight” button. Alternatively, you can click and follow the attached link to open it on the TestFlight app. Choose “Install” to get the title’s playtest on your compatible iOS device. While the playtest for Minecraft: Blast is currently limited to only iOS devices, the developers have confirmed that they plan on including more platforms in the coming days. This playtest will allow fans of the franchise to enjoy a small segment of the content featuring core gameplay mechanics ahead of its release. While there is no current release date for Minecraft: Blast, the commencement of the playtest indicates that the development has progressed quite a lot. Gamers will have to look out for official announcements or teasers from developers Mojang and King to see when the much-awaited mobile title based on the iconic world of Minecraft lands on their app store. Also read: Snapshot adds new splash text to honor YouTuber who walked to the Far Lands Check out our other articles: How to get and use Reese’s Sodium Options mod Cool ways to use shelves How to get boss mob spawn eggs How to sort items using a copper golem 4 best mods to bring mobs to life All the fishing enchantments explained.
https://www.sportskeeda.com/minecraft/how-play-minecraft-blast-early
Category Archives: general
Sharon Jackson to stay on as Bethel town manager
Town Manager Sharon Jackson was recently given a new contract to serve through Oct. 31, 2027. The wage is the same $75 per hour. Other provisions include mileage reimbursement to and from her residence in Oxford to the Town Office. Jackson was named interim town manager in 2023 when former manager Natalie Andrews left. A new contract was approved in July 2024 and extended through Oct. 31, 2025. The new contract extends to Oct. 31, 2027. Jackson has wide-ranging experience, having served as town manager for 10 years in Fryeburg and five in Paris. In Oxford she has been finance director, served twice as interim town manager, and was on the Select Board. Bethel Airport Coordinator Randy Autrey said Jackson’s sweet demeanor balanced by her toughness when necessary has earned her the nickname Honey Bear. According to Bethel Town Code, “The Town Manager shall be responsible to the Select Board for the proper administration of all affairs of the Town.” Bethel’s track record for keeping town managers is spotty compared to other nearby towns. Jackson is the seventh town manager in 11 years. Three of the seven managers were interim positions. Andrews, who is now town manager for Paris, lasted less than a year in Bethel. When she resigned in 2023, she cited a lack of cohesive support from the Select Board. In nearby Woodstock, Town Manager Vern Maxwell stayed 37 years. Greenwood’s Kim Sparks has been on board as manager of that town for nearly 22 years.
https://www.sunjournal.com/2025/11/17/sharon-jackson-to-stay-on-as-bethel-town-manager/
WEX® assure l’accès à plus de 20 000 Superchargeurs Tesla dans toute l’Europe
LONDRES–(BUSINESS WIRE)–WEX® (NYSE : WEX), la plateforme commerciale mondiale qui simplifie la gestion des entreprises, annonce aujourd’hui son intégration au réseau Tesla Supercharger, ajoutant plus de 20 000 points de recharge rapide dans plus de 1 500 stations à sa plateforme. Cette décision élargit sensiblement les options de recharge pour les clients de WEX, en particulier dans les zones où la recharge à haute puissance était jusque-là limitée ou coûteuse. En intégrant les Superchargeurs
http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20251117516703/fr/?feedref=JjAwJuNHiystnCoBq_hl-Q-tiwWZwkcswR1UZtV7eGe24xL9TZOyQUMS3J72mJlQ7fxFuNFTHSunhvli30RlBNXya2izy9YOgHlBiZQk2LOzmn6JePCpHPCiYGaEx4DL1Rq8pNwkf3AarimpDzQGuQ%3D%3D
Hochul demands Trump admin release $400 million in funding for HEAP heating bill assistance program
Gov. Kathy Hochul urged President Trump’s administration on Monday to release $400 million in federal funds that the state can use to help 1. 5 million New Yorkers heat their homes through the Home Energy Assistance Program (HEAP). Hochul and upstate Rep. Paul Tonko are making the demand after the federal government reopened last week following a 43-day shutdown, the longest in U. S. history. The state had not been able to start the program due to the shutdown, according to Hochul’s office.
https://politicsny.com/2025/11/17/hochul-demands-trump-admin-release-400-million-in-funding-for-heap-heating-bill-assistance-program/
Mahindra & Mahindra Limited (MAHMF) Shareholder/Analyst Call Transcript
Anish Shah MD, Group CEO, Member of the Group Executive Board & Director Good morning, everyone. It’s a pleasure to be here with you today. And we have an exciting announcement, as you’ve seen, something that we feel will add significant value for our shareholders. And let me start with outlining some of the reasons for it and how we’re going to go about it. So let’s start with a question that we asked first and that you may have today. Why life insurance? As we looked at various opportunities, we felt that this is a very compelling one. And in fact, one that I had mentioned about 1. 5 years ago when we were looking at various different options saying this could be a potential for us to look at. It’s one that can create meaningful value, which you will see. It was important for us to ensure we had a strong right to win. And many of you will recall the criteria that we had put out saying anything new that we do, we’ll follow this criteria, and we will show that criteria again. But in many ways, this is not something new. This is an extension of financial services for us as we strive to be the financial services provider of choice, insurance is an important part. And that’s the reason why we feel it will be very positive for Mahindra Finance from a financial services standpoint. It’s going to be accretive to ROA. And from an investment.
https://seekingalpha.com/article/4842923-mahindra-and-mahindra-limited-mahmf-shareholder-analyst-call-transcript?source=feed_all_articles
Where to find Tusk Thumpers on the Plains of Eidolon – Warframe
The Tusk Thumpin’ Nightwave challenge will send Warframe players to the Plain of Eidolon on the hunt for Tusk Thumpers. If you have never hunted these metal monstrosities before, it can be a little awkward, but this guide will tell you everything you need to know. Where to find Tusk Thumpers on the Plains of Eidolon Tusk Thumpers will randomly spawn across a range of locations while players are out on the Plains of Eidolon. You can see all the potential spawn locations marked above. If you have a means of traveling quickly around the map, such as an Archwing, K-Drive, or Atomicycle, then quickly visiting all the spots seems like a good idea, but it won’t always guarantee that a Tusk Thumper will appear. I have found the most likely places to find them near Er-Phyrah’s Vigil, the Twin Horns, Seaside Ruin, Hillside Ruin, and Hek’s Stilleto. I suggest checking there in a circuit twice, then resetting the Plains to reload the map and the spawns. How to destroy a Tusk Thumper Killing a Tusk Thumper is not easy, especially if you are a newer player. Make sure you’re playing lower-level missions to get the easier variants of his vehicle to spawn. When you find one, shoot the plates off the knees on all four legs to be able to damage it. Most of the vehicle is immune to damage, but the weak spots under those plates will take damage. For damage, you will want to mod for Impact and Corrosive, and it is possible to strip the armor from the Tusk Thumper by using things like Pillage or a Shattering Impact gunblade. All Tusk Thumper loot Tusk Thumpers can drop a range of different mods and resources, listed below. Augur Secrets Augur Seeker Gladiator Finesse Gladiator Vice Stinging Thorn Target Acquisition Vigilante Offense Vigilante Supplies You can also get the following resources: Auron Azurite Charc Electroplax Corporite Alloy Crimzian Cuthol Tendrils Devar Ferros Goopolla Spleen Grokdrul Iradite Karkina Antenna Khut-Khut Venom Sac Maprico Mawfish Bones Mortus Horn Murkray Liver Nistlepod Norg Brain Pyrol Sharrrac Teeth Tralok Eyes Veridos Yogwun Stomach.
https://www.shacknews.com/article/146850/tusk-thumper-locations-plains-of-eidolon-warframe
2 minute exercise can help you fight procrastination
New research offers a science-backed way to break the cycle of procrastination-and it’s already being put into practice through a new mobile app, Dawdle AI. In a new large-scale study, researchers found that a brief two-minute reflection exercise can reduce emotional resistance and help people take the crucial first step toward action. “Most interventions aim to change who we are in the long run-our personality, habits, or traits, but procrastination happens in the moment,” says doctoral researcher Anusha Garg, who coauthored the study with Shivang Shelat, a National Science Foundation graduate research fellow, and Professor Jonathan Schooler in the University of California, Santa Barbara’s psychological and brain sciences department. Focusing on “the starting line problem,” the study in BMC Psychology tackled that tiny psychological pause between intention and action. “If we can design tools that make it easier to step over that line, we can help people change behavior right when it matters,” Garg says. Building on those findings, Garg collaborated with UCSB computer science students to develop Dawdle AI, a free app that brings this research into daily life-turning the science of starting into a practical tool anyone can use to turn hesitation into progress. The app builds directly on a simple but powerful finding from the study. The activity took under two minutes-but its impact was striking. Compared with control groups, those who completed the guided exercise reported a better mood, less emotional resistance and a higher likelihood of acting on their task within the next day. “The goal wasn’t to eliminate procrastination overnight,” Garg says, “It was to make starting feel a little lighter-to give people traction in the exact moment they’re stuck.” The approach draws on the temporal decision model of procrastination, which frames the behavior as a cost-benefit calculation between task aversion (how unpleasant starting feels) and outcome utility (how good finishing will feel). When the emotional cost outweighs the expected reward, people delay. The intervention flips that equation-lowering aversion through affect labeling (naming emotions) and raising utility by pairing the task with a quick win: a smaller subgoal and a self-chosen reward. In a follow-up, still-unpublished study, Garg’s team explored whether breaking tasks down alone was enough to drive the effect, or whether the reward played a key role. Early data point to the combination. “When participants only broke the task down, they felt a little more motivated,” Garg says. “But when they also paired that step with a small reward-like a walk, a snack, or texting a friend-the motivation boost was significantly stronger. The reward makes the effort itself feel worthwhile.” This finding echoes the theory of learned industriousness: when effort is paired with reinforcement, effort itself becomes rewarding. Over time, that can transform the act of starting from a chore into a small, satisfying success. Rather than leave those findings in the lab, Garg brought them to life through Dawdle AI. “We realized that the problem we’re studying-getting started-happens right where people are, on their phones,” she says. “So we built something that can meet them there.” Dawdle AI combines psychology and technology in a friendly, research-based interface. Its animated guide, Pebbles, invites users to talk through what they’re avoiding, helps them generate subtasks, and encourages them to pick rewards for each completed step. The app includes timers, streak tracking, and positive feedback animations that reinforce momentum. “It’s essentially the study turned into a tool,” Garg says. “When someone feels stuck, they can open Dawdle AI, reflect for a few minutes, and feel that same shift we saw in the data.” Now available on the App Store, Dawdle AI officially launched on UCSB’s campus in November 2025 with ambassador programs, events, and collaborations designed to help students put the research into practice. For Garg, the launch marks more than a tech milestone-it’s a model for translating science into tools people can use. “So much psychological research ends up locked in journals,” she says. “We wanted this to live in people’s hands.” By reframing procrastination as a momentary emotional hurdle rather than a fixed trait, Garg hopes to replace shame with strategy. “We procrastinate because we’re human,” she says. “But if we can learn to navigate that starting-line moment-to notice it, label it and tip the scales toward reward-we can start almost anything. “The hardest part isn’t the work itself. It’s just starting. And that’s exactly where science can help.”.
https://www.futurity.org/procrastination-dawdle-ai-3305622-2/
Meet John Ternus, the Apple exec rumored to be the frontrunner to one day replace Tim Cook as CEO
Tim Cook has been running Apple for more than 14 years, but he won’t be CEO forever. With leadership transitions this year, including Cook’s longtime number two, Jeff Williams, announcing his retirement before 2026, John Ternus has emerged as a likely frontrunner for the top job, according to reports in the last year and a half. The 65-year-old could leave the role as early as next year after Apple’s January earnings report, the Financial Times recently reported, and that the iPhone maker has intensified succession planning. Bloomberg previously identified Ternus as “the most likely heir apparent.” Cook has previously said that his ideal candidate for the role would come from within the company and that he’s preparing “several” people to potentially take over. Meanwhile, Apple fans and Wall Street have become more familiar with Ternus as he makes public appearances tied to iPhone and other product events. Here’s what to know about the executive who could one day replace Cook at the helm. He studied engineering Ternus graduated with a degree in engineering from the University of Pennsylvania in 1997, according to his LinkedIn profile. He majored in mechanical engineering. He then worked for four years as an engineer before joining Apple’s product design team in 2001, per its website. Ternus became vice president of hardware engineering in 2013, taking over from Dan Riccio. He’s worked on various Apple products, including every generation and model of iPad, as well as AirPods. With his hardware chops, Ternus as CEO would mark the return of a chief executive at Apple with a product design background. Ternus has ample public speaking experience The job of Apple CEO is one of the most high-profile executive positions in the world, requiring regular media and keynote appearances. Ternus hasn’t shied away from the spotlight, as he also has experience presenting new products and revealing new versions of the iMac and MacBook at past Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) events. At Apple’s “Let Loose” event in May 2024, Ternus unveiled new, thinner iPad Pro and iPad Air models. His 2025 has been marked with a number of media appearances, including interviews about Apple’s plans for Apple Intelligence and new hardware. Following the launch of the new iPhone Air, Ternus and senior vice president of worldwide marketing Greg “Joz” Joswiak did an interview showcasing the durability of Apple’s thinnest phone. The video garnered nearly 350, 000 views, and many of the comments discussed if either of the execs would be Cook’s successor. Joswiak, however, is only three years younger than Cook. Cook wants someone ‘from within Apple’ Although Apple is unsurprisingly tight-lipped about who will take over from Cook, the CEO said in 2023 that there are “very detailed succession plans” in place for when he steps down. He didn’t give much away on who is included in that plan. “My job is to prepare several people to for the ability to succeed, and I really want the person to come from within Apple,” Cook said in a 2023 interview with singer Dua Lipa. Cook added that he aims to give the Apple board multiple candidates to choose from once his time is up. However, he said, it doesn’t mean his time is coming soon. Apple did not respond to a request for comment from Business Insider. “I love it there, and I can’t envision my life without being there,” Cook told Lipa two years ago. “So, I’ll be there for a while.”.
https://www.businessinsider.com/apple-john-ternus-exec-tipped-replace-tim-cook-ceo-2024-9
The Price of Philanthropy: Big-money gifts often come with strings attached
SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) — If you have the money, you can get things done in San Francisco. In 2023, Salesforce CEO and philanthropist Marc Benioff complained about crime, homelessness and drugs in San Francisco, even threatening to move the Dreamforce Conference to Las Vegas. The city panicked. Then Mayor London Breed pushed back, saying that things were getting better. Nonetheless, the city moved at lightning speed to appease Benioff, much to his satisfaction. “Why can’t San Francisco be like this every single day?” Benioff asked Governor Gavin Newsom in a Dreamforce interview. RELATED: Salesforce fallout: Benioff says he no longer believes National Guard needed in SF, issues apology Then, most recently, Benioff suggested that President Donald Trump send the National Guard to San Francisco. He has since apologized after facing criticism, claiming, “No one has given more to San Francisco.” That’s when philanthropist Laurene Powell Jobs decided it was time to speak out. Jobs wrote an essay in the Wall Street Journal stating, “That’s the quiet corruption corroding modern philanthropy: the ability to give as a license to impose one’s will. It’s a kind of moral laundering, where so-called benevolence masks self-interest.” Ten years ago, Steve Heilig of the San Francisco Medical Society wrote an op ed piece about adding the name Zuckerberg to San Francisco General Hospital. “That’s seen as meddling often now and the more current trend of philanthropy is hands off, give the money to the people you believe in and what they are doing and let them do it,” said Heilig. Let’s examine more closely how some of the region’s biggest donors stack up. Jobs’ foundation, Emerson Collective, focuses on driving social change with no naming rights or public recognition attached. MacKenzie Scott has given Bay Area nonprofits large grants with, in her words, “no strings attached.” RELATED: Philanthropist MacKenzie Scott donates $42 million to Bay Area nonprofit for low-income students On the other hand, Mark Zuckerberg and Priscilla Chan donated $75 million towards the San Francisco General Hospital expansion in 2015. It was the largest single private gift to a public hospital in the U. S. Chan did her pediatric residency at General. “The gift happened as a result of her deep alignment and that it was very much that she had worked with the patients and the staff here, so she could see the importance of investing in public health and building a new hospital,” said Kim Meredith, CEO of the San Francisco General Hospital Foundation. But San Franciscans’s already agreed to find the expansion, approving an $887 million bond to rebuild the hospital. “The people of San Francisco voted for $800 million in bonds that are being paid off by every property owner, by every tenant and all of a sudden Mark Zuckerberg comes along with a handful of dollars and ends up with his name on the people’s building,” complained Former San Francisco Supervisor Aaron Peskin. Since then, voters approved another $222 million for improvements to the hospital. In the end, the Zuckerberg’s donation was less than 10 percent of the total cost. Adding the name Zuckerberg to the hospital was controversial then, and now. Heilig: “People did not want to speak out.” Lyanne: “Do you think it was because they were going to sound ungrateful?” Heilig: “Yes, part of that and partly because some people just don’t like Facebook. The evidence was coming out then that social media was bad for really young people in particular.” In 2020, the Board of Supervisors voted 10-1 to condemn the renaming of the hospital. It was a symbolic vote. Benioff has also been a champion of San Francisco and Oakland schools, donating millions to fund education. No public schools are named after him. After donating $100 million to build a new children’s hospital in Mission Bay, Benioff insisted that his name not be included. But UCSF convinced him to add the name, believing it would encourage other big donors. “What’s in a name is that it attracts other investors and philanthropic investment and so the reality is peers give to peers, people give to people,” insisted Meredith. When it comes to his company, Salesforce, Benioff has been highly effective in promoting the company’s brand. Not only is the tower that Salesforce rents and bears its name, the tallest building in the city, but in 2017, Salesforce agreed to pay $110 million over 25 years for naming rights to the transit center. They get little from the deal, but did make some demands about how the area around the tower and center operated and was landscaped. Keep in mind, the Salesforce Transit Center, with its rooftop park, was funded largely with public dollars. Jane Kim was a supervisor during that period. “At the time, Salesforce wanted some unilateral say over park hours which seems like a pretty minutia issue, except that if you start to let one entity, because it gives some private dollars, to make unilateral decisions over park hours, what else can they make decisions about, especially when the majority of the funds came from taxpayers themselves,” said Kim. Kim protested, but in the end, the Transbay Joint Powers Authority sided with Salesforce. “I think San Francisco should lead this country in reminding everybody that our public buildings are not for sale. If folks with means want to participate philanthropically they should do so with real charitable intent,” added Peskin.
https://abc7news.com/post/price-philanthropy-big-money-gifts-often-come-strings-attached/18152084/
Inside Kris Boyd’s winding NFL career before shooting: A viral playoff moment and a tough Jets break
Kris Boyd had been relatively obscure for an NFL player until he went viral during the playoffs with the Texans last season. The 29-year-old Jets cornerback currently in critical but stable condition at Bellevue Hospital after being shot in the abdomen early Sunday morning outside the Sei Less restaurant in Midtown forced a fumble on the opening kickoff that the Chiefs recovered, threw his helmet off in a celebratory manner and was assessed a 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty. He then ran toward the sideline and shoved special teams coach Frank Ross in a moment replayed in slow motion on the ESPN broadcast. “I was just too excited, did something that I shouldn’t have done. Learning from it,” Boyd said after that game. “Keep my helmet on.” Primarily a special teams player, Boyd remained in the game as the Texans lost in the divisional round. Boyd signed a one-year, $1. 6 million contract with the Jets during the offseason but has not played a snap for them as he went on injured reserve in August with a shoulder injury. When he signed in March, Boyd wrote on Instagram, “When we follow God’s plan and timing for our own lives, we assist the process of spiritual growth!” He began his career with the Vikings, who took him in the seventh round out of Texas in the 2019 NFL Draft. Over his four seasons in Minnesota, Boyd had 95 combined tackles, three tackles for loss, two forced fumbles, four fumble recoveries and three passes defended in 58 games. Boyd signed with the Cardinals in 2023 but was cut that October. He joined the Texans later that month.
https://nypost.com/2025/11/17/sports/inside-kris-boyds-winding-nfl-career-before-shooting/