Game company CEO (Sierra On-Line, now Cygnus), Ship Captain (MV North Star), and best selling author. Exploring the world with my wife Roberta and our doggies.

Joined April 2009
80 Photos and videos
I've been working on a marine radar simulator for Windows and Mac. It's to the point that I need beta testers. It's not a game, it's a serious educational tool for boaters. That said, it's a lot more fun, and a much better experience, than book learning. I need both Mac and Windows beta testers, and testers who are complete rookies to using radar and also testers who are professional yacht crew. If you would consider being a beta tester, click this link: docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F…
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Roberta's and my Northwest Passage journey is now underway. Since records began, only 465 distinct maritime transits of the Northwest Passage have been successfully completed by various vessels. We will travel from the Puget Sound through the Inside Passage, brave the Bering Sea, and spend plenty of time in the Arctic Ocean as we cross all of North America. Roughly 8,300 nautical miles in total. Wish us fair winds and following seas, and toss a coin to Poseidon! Follow our journey on Instagram at: instagram.com/mv_northstar/ Or on youtube, at: youtube.com/@mvnorthstar And subscribe to the newsletter at: kensblog.eo.page/nh9zj Or .. here on X!
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Roberta and I have been working for over a year to get our boat ready for going through the northwest passage. I just posted a video on youtube that explains what we're doing. If you stay to the end, there is a sneak preview of a new software project I'm working on... youtu.be/qgn9X3Pu96k

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19 Dec 2025
Today, at 4pm west coast time, 7pm east coast, Roberta will be live in chat on YouTube while we premiere a one hour video of here playing our game Colossal Cave. After the video she will go live on YouTube to answer questions about anything; the game, the Sierra days, our boating, or whatever anyone wants to ask. It should be fun! Https://youtube.com/@colossa…
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19 Nov 2025
I just posted a new blog (vlog) entry on youtube. There's a lot in this update! It starts with a test of the stabilizers in rough-ish seas, and then Roberta (and the pups) show how the interior is finally starting to take form. Lastly, there is a brief tour of the engine room followed by a breakdown of the two major issues that currently have us stuck waiting on repairs. youtube.com/watch?v=QvIA6Mpn…
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5 Nov 2025
I just posted a new blog (or is it vlog) entry on youtube. It is announcing that we are nearing completion of a nearly one year effort to buy and refit an older boat. For the last third of the video I go completely off topic and talk about how I'm using AI and how I see it impacting the job market. Some of you who aren't into boats might find that interesting. youtu.be/yv7KqVwKwds
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31 Oct 2025
Heading out trick or treating!
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31 Oct 2025
I shouldn’t say this, but it’s an AI image that was sent to me by a friend. AI is starting to be very hard to spot. Roberta said she doesn’t think it looks like her though…
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28 Aug 2025
I'm starting to think about what I might do next as a game. Realistically, the answer is probably "nothing". I'm very happily retired and not sure I'd want to tackle a big project. That said, I'm very curious how AI can change games. I'm early in my research and trying to understand how (from a code perspective) game development in an AI powered world works. Specifically, I'm trying to understand the business model. Anyway .. for those of you who are thinking similar thoughts, this is my conversation with ChatGPT.... chatgpt.com/share/68b067e9-5… Probably the most interesting part of the chat is the comment that 7% of games on Steam are already using some AI. I seriously doubt that, but it does show that things are changing much more rapidly than I had imagined. There are lots of cultural, financial, legal, and other issues here. We are in uncharted territory!

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27 Aug 2025
A really nice article about Roberta and her games on gameinformer.com today. gameinformer.com/feature/202… Unfortunately, if you aren't a subscriber you can't read it. Darn. Roberta was also in Le Monde a few days ago. lemonde.fr/pixels/article/20… Once again - the article is behind a pay wall, and in french. We are honored by all the recent attention. When we are boating we miss making games, and when we are making games we miss boating. 24 hours in a day is not nearly enough for all we want to do. Oh well...
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24 Aug 2025
Oops - I posted yesterday a free game for Android owners, and included the wrong email address! The correct email address is: derrick@cygnusentertainment.com
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22 Aug 2025
Want a free game? Are you an Android user? 🤖🎮 We launched Colossal Cave on Android last year—and ran into trouble. The game’s a beast (1.2GB!), and older phones just couldn’t handle it. Result? Buggy installs 1⭐ reviews, even though players liked the actual game. We’ve now fixed that. A huge update just dropped: ✨ Upgraded graphics 🚫 Removed support for underpowered devices ✅ Only phones that can run it will see it To celebrate, I’ve got 100 free promo codes. No strings—just email Derrick@colossalcave.com and I’ll send one. All I ask? If you enjoy it, leave us an honest review on the Play Store 🙏 Let’s get this game the rating it deserves. – Ken Williams #ColossalCave #AndroidGaming #RetroGaming #GameDev #SierraOnLine
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24 Aug 2025
Darn - I gave the wrong email address!!! The right one is: derrick@cygnusentertainment.com
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15 Aug 2025
I just posted a new blog entry on youtube. It's fairly short (9 minutes) but covers a LOT. Those of you who have been following our cruising over the years probably remember the Great Siberian Sushi Run. There's going to be another attempt. I preview it, our cruising plans, the boat's current status and more in my update. To view it, click here: youtu.be/uyzW_bmO87w
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14 Jul 2025
Roberta and I are still working hard to update our new boat. Sadly, we are missing the summer cruising while waiting on all the work to complete, but hope to make up for it once the mechanics finish having their way with our boat. We are already making plans to cruise Hawaii and possibly the Northwest Passage! You can see the latest work-in-progress updates to the boat by clicking this link: youtu.be/2Z4N015-LpA It's a race between when the boat will be ready for cruising, and when my bank account is empty.

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6 Jun 2025
I just released a new vlog entry on my youtube channel. Roberta and I have been busy gutting and rebuilding a boat. In this vlog entry Roberta shows the extensive work going on in the galley and main salon. And, I show what we're doing with the ship's electronics. If anyone has ever thought about buying an old boat and fixing it up, this vlog entry is for you. It's not as easy to do as we thought it would be. This entry will either scare you away, or inspire you, with both being distinct possibilities. youtu.be/zZn47K3yOKg Enjoy! - Ken W
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19 May 2025
I just posted a new video update about out boat. We're doing a major update to the boat and this video talks about replacing the stabilizers. youtu.be/5W4zGT7S480?si=ilFT…
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5 May 2025
Roberta and I have a new boat. I started a YouTube channel (youtube.com/@mvnorthstar) dedicated to the new boat and just published a video which is announces the boat, and recaps our various cruising adventures for those who haven't been following our blog over the years). PS The new boat is named: NORTH STAR
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