OK, I admit it. I know what a USB cable looks like, and even a mini-USB. But an HDMI cable? Or a component cable? Or VGA, S-Video, and all those other cable mysteries? And yet they're crucial to the tasks in my life.

You're tech-savvier than I am, so of course you don't have that problem. But what I need is a really terrific cable cheat sheet.

Here's the best one I've seen, courtesy of the New York Times: An article explaining what each cable does and what it costs. And, even better, a slide show.

Now it's possible for me and any other cable ignoramuses--not you, of course!--to identify that fat wire. You know, the one with the weird-looking thingy on the end. The one that came in the box with that latest tech toy. Which won't work without it.