Someone called my attention today to a Web site selling something called an Anti-Vuvuzela Filter that costs €2.95 to download. Only, it’s a complete fraud.
For the twelve other people in the world who haven’t been watching the World Cup matches in South Africa, the Vuvuzela is a South African horn that makes an obnoxious buzzing sound when played.
The noise is said to be so irritating that fans have been watching the matches on television with the sound muted so they don’t have to hear the incessant wasp-like drone of Vuvuzela-toting fans inside the stadium.
If you haven’t experienced the full effect of the vuvuzela, consider yourself lucky. But if you’re wondering what all the fuss is about, you can make your best effort to read this blog in World Cup 2010 style. Just turn down your computer speakers or headphone volume first.
The site claims to be able to “get rid of the Vuvuzela noise through active noise cancellation” but all you get for your money is, apparently, a 45 minute long .mp3 file.
Seriously. Call it a Rogue AV (anti-vuvuzela) of a variety we haven’t seen before.
I should hope that the readers of this blog would be aware that whatever these goofballs are selling, it ain’t anything remotely similar to the active noise cancellation it is being touted to be. In fact, others have come up with a passable, working solution using equalizers and bandpass audio filters. There’s even a free, automatic filtering application you can download. It seems like this audio file would sound a lot more like a 45 minute recording of snake oil slithering. Or the sound of 3 Euros sneaking out of your pocket. Don’t be a sucker: Just reduce the volume on your TV if the vuvuzelas get you down.
