>> * If it's not twisted pair, how is ADSL able to operate at such  
>> high speeds (10 mbit/s) reliably?

Magic.


> Same way your local radio stations share the airwaves.

Indeed.  The way I have come to look at it is that the air between you  
and the other endpoint of your DSL network is capable of supporting a  
very large number of TV, radio, and communications channels;  
impressive overall bandwidth.   If you string a set of actual  
conductive copper wires over the same distance, you should surely be  
able to do Better than that, because it's easier to propagate signals  
over copper than over the air.  (I have no idea whether the actual  
technology is similar, but this helps a lot to make it seem less like  
"magic.")

BillW

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