Call me Kai.
I do a lot of different things.
Coder, sailor, climber, and more
Hey there! My name is Lilia Kai Markham
About Me
I can write code for anything from your website to your watch. I am a full-stack software developer with more than 10 years of experience. I have a bachelor’s degree in computer science, and I have a strong interest in the intersection of technology and human rights. I am currently self-employed as a software developer based in Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
When I’m not behind a screen, I spend my time traveling, sailing, and climbing. I recently spent a summer volunteering on a sailing ship in Indonesia.
Here are a few technologies I've been working with recently:- HTML
- CSS
- JavaScript
- React
- Node
- Hugo
- Mastodon
Desktop Apps
React
Electron
Javascript
Awala Desktop
I produced the desktop app for Awala using Electron and React. Awala is suite of apps which enables the secure transmission of network traffic from areas experiencing internet blackouts, blockages, and other forms of censorship.
React
Electron
Javascript
Signal
I created the first desktop app for the encrypted chat app, Signal. As the sole fulltime developer, I was responsible for coding, packaging, and releasing software as well as managing the open source project on Github.
Web Interfaces and Experiences
D3.js
Javascript
Data Viz for WiFi Probe Requests
Did you know your devices are leaking information about where you've been? This live data-driven graph visualizes the connections between wireless users and their networks names as revealed by passively sniffing wifi probe requests.
Processing
Javascript
Knifetank
A two-part web game series featuring a murderous armored tank wielding giant knife. Each game was developed in approximately 24 hours as part of a one day hackathon. Art and design by Doctor Popular.
HTML
CSS
Jquery
Wedding Table Assignments
I made this single-page app to run on a kiosk at wedding. It uses a hard-coded list of guests and table assignments. Try searching for "Adam" and click on the name from the drop down.
Volunteer Technologist
WordPress
WooCommerce
Mollie
De Nieuwe Meent
I built a full-featured fundraising website to support the creation of an anti-capitalist housing collective in Amsterdam. It includes a blog, a storefront, payment integration, and support for both Dutch and English language content.
Mastodon
Postgres
nginx
Indigenous Infrastructure
I am the technical admin for a Mastodon instance created by and for native and indigenous peoples. As a person of native Hawaiian descent, I am thrilled to provide this service to the international indigenous community.
Hugo
Jewelry Hackers
The jewelry hackers disassemble old hard drives or other electronics to learn about their inner workings and use the components to make wearable art. As a volunteer I help setup and run workshops at festivals or other events. I also build and maintain the website using Hugo.
Arduino Hacks
Arduino
Wi-Fi
Watergate
A web interface for remotely watering my garden using two solenoid-controlled valves.
Arduino
Python
Processing
Radcounter
A DIY radiation spectrometer
Arduino
FastLED
Hot Spoons
A 1D ping pong game for two players using an addressable LED strip.
Open Source Contributions
Employment
Signal is an encrypted chat client aimed at making mass surveillance impossible. The Signal protocol represents the gold standard for end-to-end encrypted messaging on both mobile and desktop platforms, and is now integrated directly into WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, and Google’s messaging products. For two years, I was the sole developer of the desktop version of Signal. I performed extensive refactoring and maintainence of the javascript protocol library and built the front-end for the desktop app from scratch using Electron.
EFF is a non-profit digital rights advocacy group combining activisim, impact litigation, and technology developement under one roof. As a member of the technical operations staff, I was responsible for web development in Ruby on Rails, Drupal, and Flask.
Causes.com is an online platform for philanthropy and activism written in Ruby on Rails. As a software engineer I participated in full-stack web development, including front and back end feature development, production database migrations, and scaling to accomodate millions of users.
Mova was a 3D facial motion capture studio in San Francisco. I was responsible for maintaining and extending a collection of proprietary software written in C++ and Python, including programs for multi-camera video capture, 3D reconstruction, and distributed computing.
OnLive was an early real-time streaming video game service. As a member of technical staff I worked on the development of real-time client and server applications written in C++, with a focus on problems related to video encoding quality and network rate control.
Education
2004 - 2008
Bachelor of Science in Computer Science
Harvey Mudd University in Claremont, California
CS and Math electives
- Robotics
- Artificial Intelligence
- Abstract Algebra
Senior project
- Researching, developing, and implementing hardware- accelerated algorithms for the digital manipulation of photographs to reproduce analog camera or printing effects, such as film grain and soft focus.
High School
Howard W. Blake School of the Arts
As a student in Blake’s magnet program for the arts, I took classes in several artistic disciplines in addition to the standard high school curriculum. Arts Curriculum
- Drawing
- Painting
- Ceramics
- Photography
- Jewelry
- Creative writing
Get in Touch
My inbox is always open. Whether you have a question or just want to say hi, I’ll try my best to get back to you!