Testing Amazon's new device: Can the Kindle Scribe replace the yellow notepad?

• That was GeekWire co-founder Todd Bishop’s question as he tested Amazon’s first e-reader that you can write on. So far, he’s torn. Read the full review, and email Todd with any feedback, questions, or insights. 

A Seattle soccer fan became the toast of the internet after he created a map showing where to find alcohol at the World Cup.

• Ed Ball put in 100 hours on his project and then spent seven days in Qatar with his wife putting it to use, cheering on the U.S. and tipping his share of beers. Read more. 

Customers looking to tip their Amazon delivery driver can get a little help in doing so from Alexa.

• Starting this week in the U.S., customers who say, “Alexa, thank my driver” will trigger a tip toward the last worker who delivered a package to that customer. The $5 comes at no cost to the customer. Read more. 

The biggest loser in the FTC’s bid to block Microsoft’s giant $69 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard might actually be Activision Blizzard itself.

• That’s the take from GeekWire games contributor Thomas Wilde, who wrote about the potential fallout of the regulatory challenge. Read more. 

In a new partnership, Toastmasters is adopting AI-powered speech analytics technology from Seattle startup Yoodli.

• It’s a high-profile move for Yoodli, which was founded in 2021 at the Allen Institute for Artificial Intelligence (AI2) incubator in Seattle. Read more.

Seattle marketing startup Banzai is going public via a SPAC deal.

• The company, founded in 2016, also announced that it will pay $110 million to acquire marketing optimization startup Hyros. Read more. 

Hit rewind on the GeekWire Gala with our video recap of the big holiday party.

• Want to relive some of the fun moments from this week’s bash? Watch here.