Saturday, May 12, 2007

More Verizon Idiocy

Verizon is on a roll!

They're currently running a television commercial - and based upon how often I've seen it they must be spending a fortune - that features a technician talking to a little boy about their fiber optic service. He throws out all sorts of technical terms and ends up saying, "Light so clean it's 20db hot. True QUAM." Then he opens the back of the truck, it's glowing inside and the little boy says, "Nice truck!" You've probably seen it.

Well, not many people have any clue what "true QUAM" means or even what it is referencing. QUAM is an acronym for "quadrature amplitude modulation." I don't really understand it, but it has to do with sending a communication signal by adjusting (modulating) its amplitude in much the same way that an AM radio signal is sent.

The thing is, QUAM is NOT used with fiber optic lines, which are completely digital. So this Verizon technician's reference to QUAM in the commercial is just bogus bunk and Verizon assumes people will be impressed because they don't know better. Dupe us with jargon and we'll think you're cool, huh?

What's more, QUAM is just QUAM - there's no "true" or "false" to it. Saying "true QUAM" is pretty much the same as saying "true AM" when talking about your car radio! Totally meaningless.

Verizon = bullshit. But it is a nice truck.

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