NIC

Stands for "Network Interface Card." Pronounced "nick", these cards are what physically make the connection between a computer and a network cable. 10 Base-T, 100 Base-T, and 10/100 Base-T Ethernet cards are the most common type of NICs. They come in ISA and PCI versions and are made by companies like 3Com (really expensive) and LinkSys (way better priced). So if you want to connect your computer to a network, you better get yourself a NIC.