Welcome to the personal website of Brian Cham
I am a:
- Vexillologist (flag expert). I am currently a finalist for the official flag of Long Beach, California. Previously, I was commissioned to design the flags for the fictional nations in the NeuroSpasta role-playing game, I have been a judge for other official flags (NAVA 55, The Center for the Living City and Cedar Falls, Iowa) and I was a finalist for the officials flag of Galveston, Texas and Reno, Nevada. I am a member of NAVA, the largest flag organisation in the world. My Earth flag has been featured in NAVA’s newsletter, I was honoured to give a popular presentation about flag design and I have a forthcoming article in their publication Vexillum based on the presentation. I love how flags can symbolise so much meaning and bring people together. I design flags for places that have controversies or are in need of a redesign that can elegantly and truly express a community’s spirit. Feel free to browse and share my designs or see my NAVA profile!
- Cryptographer (code breaker). I love solving puzzles, analysing patterns and breaking secret codes. Previously, I made apps to teach cryptography and steganography to students in a fun way, which were used as teaching tools in the local university and museum. Now I analyse the Voynich Manuscript, a centuries-old book written in unique symbols that nobody can understand. The world’s top experts have failed to make sense of it. Is it a secret code? A lost language? A sophisticated hoax? I aim to help find out! Feel free to read my Voynich Manuscript articles or see my Voynich Ninja profile!
- Software developer. By trade I am a software developer at Southern Cross, the largest health insurance provider in New Zealand. I have two Microsoft Certifications, a Professional Certificate in Data Science from Harvard University and a degree in Software Engineering from the University of Auckland. Most of my experience is full-stack development for innovative web and cloud applications but I always like to learn new things. Previously, I worked at the multi-national company Vista Entertainment Solutions that makes the software that runs most of the world’s cinemas. My most recent success was developing part of Living Ticket, a worldwide cloud service that delivers digital contactless movie tickets to millions of cinema-goers every day. Feel free to see my software projects or see my LinkedIn profile!
- Cinephile (film lover). I have a degree in Film, Television and Media Studies from the University of Auckland, where I studied a variety of media forms and won three First in Course Awards. Previously, I was a finalist in an international film competition run by the United Nations, one of my proudest achievements. In high school, I got first in Media Studies 301 and the Best Director award for my short film. Feel free to see my short films or see my IMDb profile!
- Bookworm. I love learning new things and exploring new ideas. As of February 2021, I am the #1 top book reviewer in New Zealand for All Time on GoodReads. I commit to reading one hundred books each year and I aim for a variety of time periods, cultures and subject matters. Feel free to see my GoodReads profile!
- Designer. I used to do a bit of freelance graphic design on the side. Feel free to browse my designs!