For two years I've cursed the phone wiring in my new house,
and in St Louis Park in general, because I couldn't connect
at above 28.8kbps.  Then for no reason I decided to look at
my modem manufacturer's site and discover that two years ago
my modem was recalled :( .  So now I'm looking for a good
quality (not making that mistake again) modem that works
with Linux, ideally doesn't require external power (may need
to use in the UK) and can sneak under my wife's expenditure
radar.  Any suggestions?

Cheers, Paul