Yandex Museum will once again hold a «Demodulation» — a festival about the history of technology, the human mind and progress.
presentations
by technology experts
expanded exhibition
featuring computers and consoles, with partner museum booths
games and tournaments
on legendary platforms and arcade machines
live music
performed by indie artists
master classes
and other activities for little kids and school students
Demodulation items and souvenirs
1
August 12
2
August 13
11:00
Innovators in crimson jackets: the birth of cellular communication in Russia
Lectures
Crimson jackets, men’s hand bags, sometimes even a belt holster — surprisingly, that’s just how the innovators and geeks of the '90s looked. The phones were big and using them was expensive. Each region had its own operator, and roaming was exotic. What phones did the characters in the movie «Brother» use? Why didn’t hackers pay to connect? What killed pagers? Tele2's Ilya Luknov recounts the birth of the mobile industry in Russia.
Why scientists need comics
For children
7+
Anastasia Reshetnyak, scientific consultant in chemistry and physics at the Polytechnic Museum, discusses visualization in science, its features and formats. After that, interactive lecture participants will create their own image for scientists.
12:00
Vladimir Kotelnikov. Searching a scientist's collection: from the family archive to closed institutes
Lectures
Vladimir Kotelnikov is an outstanding Soviet radiophysicist and radio communications specialist who studied cryptography and space over the course of many years. The search and study of his archives continue to this day. The discovered artifacts became the basis of the Kotelnikov Chambers exhibit at the Museum of Cryptography and are part of an exhibition set to open in 2023. Alexander Dyuldenko, Candidate of Historical Sciences and the museum’s senior researcher, discusses with the audience the special aspects of searching personal collections and working with them, as well as the prospects and formats of exhibiting such finds in modern museums.
Manual telephone switchboard
For children
12+
Feel like a telephone operator from the last century: the curator of the Museum of the History of the Telephone, Vladimir Tsukor, explains how a manual telephone switchboard works and how to use one.
Сhiptune music
Competition
Synth music for computers with AY/YM, Pokey, SID, and similar sound chips. Participants can also present music for single-bit digital modules (beepers).
13:00
Quantum technologies: computing and communication
Lectures
Eduard Samsonov, PhD in Physics and Mathematics, Associate Professor, Head of the Laboratory of Quantum Informatics, and Deputy Director of the Scientific and Educational Center of Photonics and Optoinformatics at ITMO University, explains what «quantum technologies» means today and underlying principles of quantum computing and communications.
How to get ready for a hike: a game about safety in nature
For children
7-10 years old
Adele Yastrebova from Yandex Textbook explains the basics of safety in nature and reinforces this information with a quest game that participants will create on Scratch.
Tracker music
Competition
Music made from digital samples. Designed for computers that play MOD, XM, S3M, IT and SunVox modules.
13:30
Graphics
Competition
Old-school, mid-school, textmode, and modern graphics competitions. Graphics for historical 8-, 16-, and 32-bit platforms, both with and without graphics limitations.
14:00
The MSX platform: a 40-year journey
Lectures
Alexander Straystar, Alexey Sysoev, and Dmitry Ruppel from the Russian Bear Service Crew group talk about the MSX platform, its history in Russia and around the world, and their team’s mission.
Understanding encrypted documents
For children
12+
What do encrypted documents say? The veil of this mystery will be lifted by Museum of Cryptography staff: museum curator Alice Chernysheva and senior researcher Anastasia Ashaeva, Candidate of Historical Sciences. They will explain how historical documents are stored and deciphered in the museum, how the curator’s work differs from that of the researcher, and how to handle 300-year-old artifacts. Participants will learn about the most mysterious encrypted messages in history and try to decipher a letter from the late 18th–early 19th century on their own.
15:00
Restoration, repair, modernization: an amateur's view and a professional's view
Lectures
Private collectors, curators of commercial and state museums: everyone who works with retro technology has to restore it from time to time. What is the difference between restoration, repair, and replica creation? What approaches and technologies are used? Does anyone teach how to restore historical computers? And why should a good specialist be somewhat of a doctor? Hear the answers to these questions at a lecture by Polytechnic Museum staff: restorer Vyacheslav Sokolov and scientific consultant Alexey Butyrin, who restore retro equipment as a hobby.
Manual telephone switchboard
For children
12+
Feel like a telephone operator from the last century: the curator of the Museum of the History of the Telephone, Vladimir Tsukor, explains how a manual telephone switchboard works and how to use one.
Shadershow battle: selection
Competition
A competition that has programmers creating visual effects in real time. Each participant has 25 minutes to impress the audience by writing a GLSL/HLSL shader from scratch. Qualifying round.
16:00
The history of the development of the Irisha PC
Lectures
Andrey Chudin of the Computer Museum shares the origins of Irisha, a personal computer that was created at the Moscow State University Faculty of Chemistry in the mid-'80s.
Deep sea robots
For children
7-13 years old
For thousands of years, humans have been exploring the seas and oceans, studying the flora and fauna of the underwater world. What robots can help do this? Andrey Egoshkin of Robostation explains what autonomous and remote-controlled uninhabited underwater vehicles are, how they work, and where they are used.
Intro
Competition
Поиск всегда был и остается главным сервисом Яндекса, однако сегодня мы понимаем его роль более широко — это универсальный помощник, навигатор по всему, что нас окружает. Поиск теперь — и подсказка в нужный момент, и помощь в выборе, и возможность совершить действие.
16:30
Demo
Competition
Old-school, mid-school, and high-end demo contests. Visual effect programming competitions for different computer platforms (no restrictions).
17:00
Defeating Tetris
Lectures
Gaming journalist and editor-in-chief of the KG-Portal and Perfect Pixel websites Mikhail Sudakov tells how "Tetris" got its second wind and own world championship, and how the players got younger and learned to get around all the developers' restrictions.
Basics of digital electronics: assemble things yourself
For children
8 - 12 years old
Participants will learn the basics of digital electronics and assemble a funny device from microchips on solderless breadboards. Everything will be just like in the good old radio clubs: only hardware, no programming. This master class is designed for children, but parents can also join in to help and indulge in some nostalgia.
17:30
Shadershow battle: final
Competition
A competition that has programmers creating visual effects in real time. Each participant has 25 minutes to impress the audience by writing a GLSL/HLSL shader from scratch. The battle for prizes.
18:00
How the computer turned the film industry upside down, or a brief history of digital special effects
Lectures
What the first special effects looked like? How computers became film characters? Why isn’t every task suitable for neural networks? These topics, among others, will be fully covered by Timofey Mokienko, designer, director, screenwriter, collector of retro computers, and a member of the RetroTech Squad association.
From classical to rap: the evolution of the main musical styles and trends
For children
10+
House of Vintage Music creator and director Kristina Belenkaya gives an introduction to the history and culture of the 20th century through the prism of the evolution of audio equipment. Participants will find out who invented sound recording, the difference between the gramophone and the pathephone, and when musical styles emerged. They will also get to listen to a real phonograph and vintage turntables.
Award ceremony
Competition
Announcement of all competition winners and prize ceremony.
19:00
Elektronika-60 concert
Concert
Elektronika-60 is an outstanding example of the Russian synthwave and retrowave scene. The project’s name refers to the Soviet computer model that the original Tetris code was written on. Retro synthesizers, drum machines, chiptune genre elements, and 8-bit music: come catch the vibe of the '80s.
11:00
"Ponimat": creating a slot machine on rigid logic
Lecture
Alexander Kokovin, the man behind the Soviet Radio Blogs and Reviews channel on YouTube and the creator of the «Ponitronika» project, explains how slot machines are based on rigid logic: fine logic microchips without microprocessors. Guests will learn the principles of building individual blocks, image formation, and the processing of game situations.
How to get ready for a hike: a game about safety in nature
For children
7 - 10 years old
Adele Yastrebova from Yandex Textbook explains the basics of safety in nature and reinforces this information with a quest game that participants will create on Scratch.
12:00
Apple I: a masterpiece?
Lecture
Culturologist, teacher, and computer history enthusiast Alexander Medvedev looks at the phenomenon of the legendary Apple I: how it came about, what it represented, why it gained historical value and status as a work of art, as well as who promoted it and who bought it. At the end, guests will get tips on how to assemble a replica Apple I today.
Why scientists need comics
For children
7+
Anastasia Reshetnyak, scientific consultant in chemistry and physics at the Polytechnic Museum, discusses visualization in science, its features and formats. After that, interactive lecture participants will create their own image for scientists.
13:00
"Professor Fortran's Encyclopedia" Conversation and autograph session
Lecture
The main event at Demodulation. Talk to the creators of the popular books "And I Was in the Computer City" and "Professor Fortran's Encyclopedia". Bring your books and get them autographed. Festival participants:
— Andrey Zaretsky and Alexander Trukhanov, co-authors of both books.
— Elina Desyatnik, artist and illustrator of "Professor Fortran's Encyclopedia".
— Igor Oleynikov, illustrator of the book "And I Was in a Computer City", formerly an animation film production designer. Winner of the Hans Christian Andersen Prize.
— Lyudmila Antonova, editor of "Professor Fortran's Encyclopedia", founder of the Vita-Press publishing house.
Manual telephone switchboard
For children
12+
Feel like a telephone operator from the last century: the curator of the Museum of the History of the Telephone, Vladimir Tsukor, explains how a manual telephone switchboard works and how to use one.
14:00
(continuation)
"Professor Fortran's Encyclopedia" Conversation and autograph session
Lecture
The main event at Demodulation. Talk to the creators of the popular books "And I Was in the Computer City" and "Professor Fortran's Encyclopedia". Bring your books and get them autographed. Festival participants:
— Andrey Zaretsky and Alexander Trukhanov, co-authors of both books.
— Elina Desyatnik, artist and illustrator of "Professor Fortran's Encyclopedia".
— Igor Oleynikov, illustrator of the book "And I Was in a Computer City", formerly an animation film production designer. Winner of the Hans Christian Andersen Prize.
— Lyudmila Antonova, editor of "Professor Fortran's Encyclopedia", founder of the Vita-Press publishing house.
How to use an encryption device from the last century if you only have a pen and paper
For children
10+
Participants will experience what it was like to be a cryptographer of different historical eras under the guidance of a researcher from the Museum of Cryptography, Egor Efremov.
15:00
Hello, operator? Moscow and the telephone
Lecture
Moscow got acquainted with the telephone 140 years ago: at that time, the quality of communication was very low and the price of calls was incredibly high. At telephone exchanges, operators—or «telephone young ladies"—worked tirelessly, manually connecting the first subscribers, who they recognized by voice. Tamara Urumyan, curator of the Museum of Telephone History, tells how telephony started out in Moscow.
Basics of digital electronics: assemble things yourself
For children
8 - 12 years old
Participants will learn the basics of digital electronics and assemble a funny device from microchips on solderless breadboards. Everything will be just like in the good old radio clubs: only hardware, no programming. This master class is designed for children, but parents can also join in to help and indulge in some nostalgia.
16:00
What's dad's video recorder hiding? The untold story of magnetic video recording in the USSR and around the world
Lecture
What might you find in dad’s old video recorder, gathering dust in the attic? The answer to this question will be shared by blogger, collector of video equipment, and co-founder of the Vidachestvo project Alexey Kashkin, also known as VCD. Guests will immerse themselves in the history of video technology and find out what scientific and technical achievements were behind the first video recorders, who created them, and how modern enthusiasts save video archives.
Deep sea robots
For children
7 - 13 years old
For thousands of years, humans have been exploring the seas and oceans, studying the flora and fauna of the underwater world. What robots can help do this? Andrey Egoshkin of Robostation explains what autonomous and remote-controlled uninhabited underwater vehicles are, how they work, and where they are used.
17:00
Para||elix is a platform for high-resolution x86 sizecoding with multithreading
Lecture
Programmer Evgeny Krasnikov, known as Jin X, will introduce the guests to Para||elix: what it is, why another platform is needed, how its three editions differ, and what debugging and prototyping capabilities it offers.
Basics of digital electronics: assemble things yourself
For children
8 - 12 years old
Participants will learn the basics of digital electronics and assemble a funny device from microchips on solderless breadboards. Everything will be just like in the good old radio clubs: only hardware, no programming. This master class is designed for children, but parents can also join in to help and indulge in some nostalgia.
18:00
Digital devices that were ahead of their time: the rise and disappearance of digital giants, using Palm as an example.
Lecture
What were pocket computers, also known as pocket computers and PDAs? The history of these devices will be related by Bogdan Plahotnikov from the Palm Club and Sandbox, Moscow communities of PDA fans. Using the example of Palm, viewers will learn why some innovations become popular, while others disappeared into oblivion.
From classical to rap: the evolution of the main musical styles and trends
For children
10+
House of Vintage Music creator and director Kristina Belenkaya gives an introduction to the history and culture of the 20th century through the prism of the evolution of audio equipment. Participants will find out who invented sound recording, the difference between the gramophone and the pathephone, and when musical styles emerged. They will also get to listen to a real phonograph and vintage turntables.
19:00
Peter Theremin concert
Concert
Russian scientist Lev Termen, also known as Leon Theremin, invented the theremin in 1919. It’s from this moment that the world’s history of electronic music is considered to have begun. Classical works and modern melodies will be performed on the theremin by musician, composer, and head of the Russian Theremin School, Peter Theremin, great-grandson of this instrument’s inventor.
Demoscene contests
General rules
1. Registration and acceptance of works
Submit entries through our website: demodulation.retroscene.org. If you encounter any issues with registration, reach out to us via email at museum@yandex-team.ru. Please include your Telegram, Discord, or WhatsApp handle, in case we need to contact you promptly.
2. A project may be disqualified if it:
— Is of low quality (all projects must pass preselection).
— Has been previously published.
— Violates Russian Federation laws.
— Contains obscene, offensive, political, religious, or other content that could hurt people’s feelings.
— Uses copyrighted materials.3. Projects selected for the competition will be displayed on a big screen during the festival.
4. Technical details of the project, such as the computer it was made for and any accompanying author’s text, will also be shown. You can provide this information when submitting the project.
5. Optional but encouraged: Attach a video recording of your project to ensure it displays correctly on our equipment. Please do not make the video publicly available until the competition concludes (you can share a link, but keep it private).
6. Winners will be determined through online and offline audience voting.
7. With your consent, we may move the project to a different nomination if your entry better aligns with the rules of that nomination.
8. All accepted competition entries will be made publicly available after the festival. Disqualified entries will not be published.
9. If a competition does not receive at least three entries (including those disqualified during preselection), we may merge it with a similar nomination, but only with your consent.
10. You can participate in the festival competitions remotely. If you win as a remote attendee, we can give your reward to a representative: please provide the representative’s name or username in the project comments.
11. We reserve the right to make changes and clarifications to the rules, but no later than August 01, 2023.
12. You can submit your competition entries by August 11, 2023.
Nominations:
Music
Chiptune music
Music for computers with AY/YM, Pokey, SID, or similar sound chips, as well as one-bit digital modules (beepers).
— We accept only original works. No cover versions of popular or commercial music. If your entry contains materials from other authors, ensure you have the rights to use them.
— A project is accepted as a launchable module or as a source file for the corresponding editor.
— If possible, attach an MP3 or OGG version that we can post on our website during voting and after the competition.
— Maximum duration: 2 minutes.
— Only one entry per author will be accepted.
Tracker music
Music using digital samples for computers capable of playing MOD, XM, S3M, IT and SunVox modules.
— We accept only original works. No cover versions of popular or commercial music will be accepted. If your work contains materials from other authors, ensure you have the rights to use them.
— A project is accepted as a launchable module or as a source file for the corresponding editor.
— If possible, attach an MP3 or OGG version that we can post on our website during voting and after the competition.
— File size must not exceed 4 Mb.
— Maximum duration: 2 minutes.
-
— Only one entry per author will be accepted.
GFX
Old-school textmode graphics
Graphics competition in various text modes (ANSI, ASCII, ATASCII, PETSCII, SPECSCII, or teletext graphics).
— Use only the standard color palette intended for the selected mode by default.
* ANSI: 80 horizontal characters, unlimited height.
* ASCII: 80 horizontal characters, unlimited height.
* PETSCII: 40 horizontal characters, unlimited height.
* SPECSCII: 32 horizontal characters, unlimited height.
* ATASCII: 40 horizontal characters, unlimited height.
* Teletext level 1: 40 horizontal characters.— We accept only original works. If your work contains materials from other authors, ensure you have the rights to use them.
Old-school pixel art graphics
Graphics for historical 8- and 16-bit platforms with significant graphical limitations.
— We accept only original works. No copying, tracing, remaking, or direct redrawing of previously published works or portions thereof. If your work contains materials from other authors, ensure you have the rights to use them. As long as these conditions are met, any technical means can be used to process the work.
— You may use any software (but not hardware) tricks to enhance graphics, such as Multicolor, GigaScreen, MacroScreen, border effects, etc.
— Submit works in the original format of the computer for which they were made, or as an executable file.
— If possible, attach a PNG version that we can post on our website during voting and after the competition.
— To verify authorship, please upload at least three intermediate stages of work.
— A maximum of two works per author will be accepted.
Mid-school pixel art graphics
Graphics for historical 8- 16- and 32-bit platforms with minor graphical limitations.
— We accept only original works. No copying, tracing, remaking, or direct redrawing of previously published works or portions thereof. If your work contains materials from other authors, ensure you have the rights to use them. As long as these conditions are met, any technical means can be used to process the work.
— Select a screen resolution of no more than 800×600 — or exactly 1280×256 pixels. Use 4096 colors or fewer.
— Submit works in the original format of the computer for which they were made, or as an executable file.
— If possible, attach a PNG version that we can post on our website during voting and after the competition.
— To verify authorship, please upload at least three intermediate stages of work.
— A maximum of two works per author will be accepted.
Modern graphics
Graphics for any modern platform with no graphical limitations.
— We accept only original works. No copying, tracing, remaking, or direct redrawing of previously published works or portions thereof. If your work contains materials from other authors, ensure you have the rights to use them. As long as these conditions are met, any technical means can be used to process the work.
— To ensure your image displays properly, please create it in the FullHD format (1920×1080 resolution).
— File format: PNG or JPG with maximum quality.
— To verify authorship, please upload at least three intermediate stages of work.
— A maximum of two works per author will be accepted.
Intro
Old-school intro 256b
Intro for historical 8- and 16-bit platforms with low performance.
— Maximum duration: 1 minute, excluding loading, unpacking, precalculation, etc.
— If the intro lacks a clearly defined ending, please indicate when it should finish running. Otherwise, we will decide when to end it.
— Size: 256 bytes, not including the loader.
Mid-school intro 256b
Intro for historical 8- and 16-bit platforms with high performance.
— Maximum duration: 1 minute, excluding loading, unpacking, precalculation, etc.
— If the intro lacks a clearly defined ending, please indicate when it should finish running. Otherwise, we will decide when to end it.
— Size: 256 bytes, not including the loader.
High-end intro 256b
Intros for modern computers (PC x86/x64: DOS/Windows/Linux/macOS/MBR, Raspberry Pi ARM: RISC OS/Linux), browsers, 5th generation consoles, or fantasy consoles (TIC-80, MicroW8, PICO-8, Processing).
The intro cannot be larger than 256 bytes (including the header).
— Maximum duration: 2 minutes, excluding loading, unpacking, precalculation, etc. For content-rich intros, the maximum duration can be increased at the author's request. If the intro lacks a clearly defined ending, please indicate when it should end. Otherwise we will decide when to end it.
— We prefer (but it is not mandatory) that the intro can be ended by pressing the Esc key.
— If you need to use emulators, add a BAT file to the archive with your work to run it in fullscreen mode. We strongly recommend that you add a customized emulator, including configuration files.
— If an additional software environment (SDK, drivers, etc.) must be installed, please let us know in advance. For Linux, we recommend you include an SH file for installing the required environment.
— We will launch browser intros locally. Additional plugins, as well as Flash, Silverlight, and AdobeAir, are not allowed. Your program cannot load any data from the internet.
— When uploading your submission, we recommend entering the following in the "Comments for the admins":
a) Hardware and software requirements for proper performance. For example, version requirements for the emulator, browser, or OS. Indicate whether your intro should be run directly on hardware or in an emulator, and other similar information.
b) A video link so that we can confirm it runs correctly. If we don't have the necessary hardware or correct OS, we will use your video. You can find quality recommendations in the General Rules.
If there are enough submissions, we will divide the competition into two parts: one for native platforms and one for fantasy consoles.
Demo
Old-school demo
Demo for historical 8- and 16-bit platforms with low performance.
— Maximum duration: 5 minutes.
— If the demo lacks a clearly defined ending, please indicate when it should finish running. Otherwise, we will decide when to end it.
Mid-school demo
Demo for historical 8- and 16-bit platforms with high performance.
— Maximum duration: 5 minutes.
— If the demo lacks a clearly defined ending, please indicate when it should finish running. Otherwise, we will decide when to end it.
High-end demo
Demo for modern computers (PC x86/x64: DOS/Windows/Linux/macOS/MBR, Raspberry Pi ARM: RISC OS/Linux), browsers, 5th generation consoles, or fantasy consoles (TIC-80, MicroW8, PICO-8, Processing). There is no limit to the demo size.
— Maximum duration: 5 minutes. For content-rich demos, the maximum duration can be increased at the author's request. If the demo lacks a clearly defined ending, please indicate when it should end. Otherwise we will decide when to end it.
— It must be possible to end the program by pressing the Esc key.
— If you need to use emulators, add a BAT file to the archive with your work to run it in fullscreen mode. We strongly recommend that you add a customized emulator, including configuration files.
— If an additional software environment (SDK, drivers, etc.) must be installed, please let us know in advance. For Linux, we recommend you include an SH file for installing the required environment.
— We will launch browser demos locally. Additional plugins, as well as Flash, Silverlight, and AdobeAir, are not allowed. Your program cannot load any data from the internet.
— When uploading your submission, we recommend entering the following in the "Comments for the admins":
a) Hardware and software requirements for proper performance. For example, version requirements for the emulator, browser, or OS. Indicate whether your demo should be run directly on hardware or in an emulator, whether additional flags are needed for browsers (such as the --allow-file-access-from-files flag), and other relevant information.
b) A video link so that we can confirm it runs correctly. If we don't have the necessary hardware or correct OS, we will use your video. You can find quality recommendations in the General Rules.
If there are enough submissions, we can divide the competition into sections: for example, New-school 4K (64K) intros and New-school demos.
Realtime
Realtime ZX Spectrum 53c graphics
Low-resolution graphics (32×24 pixels, 53 colors) for the ZX Spectrum computer are created in real time based on a specified theme. During the festival, we will announce the theme, the time allotted for completion, and the submission process for the works. So, come prepared to participate.
Shadershow Battle
A competition of programmers to create visual effects in real time. Within 25 minutes each of them has to write a GLSL/HLSL shader from scratch that will impress the audience.
— The competition is held in two stages: firstly, a qualifying round, in which all participants program simultaneously, then the authors of the three most spectacular effects compete for first, second and third place.
— Each bout lasts 25 minutes.
— For the competition at partyplace, participants receive computers that are identical in parameters. Programming is carried out only in Bonzomatic environment without using any other software tools, as well as mobile phones, notepads and other cheat sheets.
— A set of textures will be provided for each round.
— The winners is determined by the audience immediately after the competition.
— You can sign up for the competition until 11.08.2023 by emailing museum@yandex-team.ru with the "Shadershow Battle" subject line.
— Remote participation is allowed.
Partners:
The Yandex Museum is a state-of-the-art urban space dedicated to the evolution of digital technology. With locations in Moscow and Saint Petersburg, the Museum showcases fully functional retro computers and gaming consoles. Visitors can purchase practical and handy items, attend lectures, and participate in workshops. Feel free to drop by or sign up for our guided tours, which, just like the Museum admission, are entirely free of charge.
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Tue Aug 15 2023 11:48:42 GMT+0300 (Moscow Standard Time)