This is just a quick update on our Northwest Passage trip. Roberta and I are currently at our home near Seattle, but we'll be flying back to the boat a week from today. A few boats are hoping to transit the Northwest Passage from west to east this year. So far we've seen four sailboats and no other powerboats. There may be others, but I I think we would have seen them by now. The short version is that the passage is currently blocked. We need some ice to melt—or move—before we can continue. Actually, it's a bit more complicated than that. The Northwest Passage is the narrow gap between the northern coasts of Alaska and Canada and the polar ice cap. During the summer, enough ice usually melts to create a navigable corridor between the land and the permanent pack ice. The problem is that the ice is constantly changing. Large pieces break off, new ice occasionally forms, and winds and currents push the floating ice around. A route that is open today can become blocked tomorrow, and a route that looks blocked on the morning ice chart may open later that same day. The official ice reports are excellent, but by the time they're published, the wind may already have changed the conditions. Of the five boats I know about (including ours), two are waiting in Nome, two have positioned themselves closer to the ice, and one bold sailboat has already started the journey. The boats are staying in touch, and that sailboat is heading toward the current blockage, hoping the ice will move or melt enough by the time they arrive to let them through. No one has ever accused me of being bold. There's an old saying: "There are old sailors and bold sailors, but no old, bold sailors." I think there's a lot of truth to that. Roberta and I have traveled all over the world by boat, and when people ask us about exciting stories of surviving terrible storms, we really don't have many. That's by design. We plan our routes and timing with one goal in mind: boring passages. So far, that approach has worked, and we'd like to keep it that way. So here's our plan... Roberta and I will be back aboard North Star on August 13. If conditions look favorable, we'll head to the entrance to the passage and continue monitoring the ice reports while staying in close contact with the other boats. If the route opens, we'll go immediately. If it's still blocked by September 1, we'll have a difficult decision to make. Out of curiosity, I asked ChatGPT what it thought our chances were of making it safely through the Northwest Passage this season. After thinking for a while—and offering plenty of caveats—it finally answered, "75%." I wouldn't trust any computer (or AI) completely, but that number feels about right to me. The odds seem to be in our favor. We have a good boat, an experienced crew, and now all we need is a little cooperation from Mother Nature. That's it for now... —Ken Williams (with Roberta Williams and our two pups - Pixie and Keeley) MV North Star

A friend of mine (Marcus) thought there ought to be a boxed version of Roberta's and my most recent game. I argued against it mostly because Roberta and I are busy people and I didn't want to hassle with physical goods. Well... Marcus decided that it would be a sin not to have a proper boxed version and made one, going WAY over the top, as Marcus is prone to doing. Check it out! I was blown away. The video is worth watching. Great job Marcus! piped.video/PjL9H0hrtSc?is=aZRA… To order the boxed version you go to: Www.guillotine.tv/ccc

I just released a new video blog entry on youtube. It's the first 2,000 miles of our 8,500 mile journey through the Northwest Passage. Roberta and I have been on the boat for almost a month and have had some wild times! I hope you will check it out. piped.video/Q08dyqDTuUw?si=jhEZ…

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…

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: piped.video/@mvnorthstar And subscribe to the newsletter at: kensblog.eo.page/nh9zj Or .. here on X!

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... piped.video/qgn9X3Pu96k

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://piped.video/@colossa…

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. piped.video/watch?v=QvIA6Mpn…

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. piped.video/yv7KqVwKwds

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!

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...

Oops - I posted yesterday a free game for Android owners, and included the wrong email address! The correct email address is: derrick@cygnusentertainment.com

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: piped.video/uyzW_bmO87w

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: piped.video/2Z4N015-LpA It's a race between when the boat will be ready for cruising, and when my bank account is empty.

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. piped.video/zZn47K3yOKg Enjoy! - Ken W