Sweet modem! Is that a 56k?
Reminds me of an instance a co-worker stuck a paper clip holder on top of her CRT monitor to get it out of the way...and began shrieking that her screen colors had gone haywire.
A cooler-headed colleague removed the MAGNETIC paper clip holder from the CRT and all returned to normal.
Magnets and Monitor’s were no-no’s.
They also had magnetic document holders that would mount to the monitor so you could keep your head level while typing them in.
I had to look, I didn’t spot it at first. No way to tell without seeing the label, that’s a US Robotics external modem, but they made it in 28.8, 33.6 and 56k versions. I used a 56k for several years, best modem ever made. I think they may have also made a 14.4 version but don’t remember. 14.4 was fax speed. I gave a friend a 33.6 version, out where she lived a 14.4 connection was about the best she could get so the 33.6 was beyond her connection capability. Crappy phone lines. We both complained a lot, the phone company kept telling us they didn’t support Internet connections...well dammit you SELL internet connections!! Didn’t help, they refused to run better lines.
Rain? No connection...every splice in sight would get wet, phone calls were noisy, internet non existent. Phone company would come out and tell me I had an inside line problem...the external modem was the only way I could get even a decent 19.4 connection. The “win modem” or software based modem, wouldn’t work at all.