My DSL is back on finally, after being out since Saturday morning.

I've actually got to give kudos to my ISP for being about as responsive as possible when Bellsouth owns the lines. After running several line tests and getting BS to send someone out to check out the CO (which was my theory since there was a thunderstorm at the same time I lost access), they concluded that my equipment failed and happily sent me a replacement DSL modem. ...Despite my foolishly mentioning the thunderstorm.

Unfortunately, the one "line test" that neither of us thought to do was to check the lines inside the house. Since I've had flawless service for a few months now, and didn't change any inside-the-house configuration, both tech support and I assumed that it just couldn't be me...

It was.

If you don't recognize that little trinket, it's a simple telephone line ground. If you bought a UPS or surge suppressor in the last few years, you probably have something like this built in to it. This one just happens to be standalone. That stuff that looks like smoke inside the fuses, basically is. It's residue from where the fuse wire vaporized.

The little nifty box gave it's life that my DSL modem might live. How noble.

(P.S. No, the original modem was not damaged at all, AFAICT.)