For the first edition of Blockparty, Notacon regulars will be introduced to demos and the "scene" they created. We're all familiar with computer tinkering, but this phenomenon of computer graphics programming "just for fun" has been confined mostly to Europe since the 1980's. We'll see what motivated these kids to collaborate and compete, why they kept underground, and what some demo-making veterans are doing today. Clips of various demos will be shown, from the 8-bit days to modern times. We'll see demos as abstract art, as digital movies, and as hardware record-breakers. We'll see how the spirit of the demo scene has snuck into mainstream culture, and what each can learn from each other.