Amazon sets another special Prime shopping event

Amazon sets another special Prime shopping event: The company will hold the new “Prime Early Access Sale” on Oct. 11-12 in a bid to replicate the effect of its annual summertime Prime Day and boost sales during a traditional lull in the retail calendar. Hoping to jump-start the holiday shopping season, Amazon will also release a Top 100 list of products in conjunction with the sale.

Drones disrupt football in Seattle: The Seahawks and the University of Washington both had to stop play during games this weekend when drones were spotted over Lumen Field and Husky Stadium. In the college game, the UW athletic department took credit for a “rogue” device. Read more.

Robotic coffee barista: Seattle startup Artly just landed $8.3 million to open more coffee shops featuring its AI-powered machine that can make and serve drinks. Check it out. 

The future of the Gates Foundation: The plan is to wind down the Seattle-based foundation in 25 years, Bill Gates said in a recent interview, with both he and Melinda French Gates at the helm.

Hurricane impacts NASA launch plans: With Ian bearing down on the Florida coast, the Space Launch System moon rocket is being moved to safety, following the weekend decision to not proceed with an attempted blast off on Tuesday. Read more.

Tech vet lights up Burning Man: James Gwertzman has spent his career in the video game industry, but in the Nevada desert he got a chance to get his hands dirty at the intersection of art and technology with an immersive project called “The Prairie of Possibilities.” Read more.

Hybrid work + Summit preview + kids and smartphones: On a new episode of the GeekWire Podcast, we dig into a Microsoft study on hybrid work. Also, a preview of our upcoming tech conference in Seattle, and lessons learned in getting a 12-year-old his first smartphone. Listen here. 

Thanks for reading and have a great week. — GeekWire managing editor Taylor Soper. taylor@geekwire.com; and reporter Kurt Schlosser, kurt@geekwire.com.