Jim Banholzer In a rich Arabian adventure from The Book of One Thousand and One Nights , while working late one night the poor woodcutter Ala-baba “just so happens” to overhear forty thieves visiting their treasure trove, which is sealed in a cave by magic. He hears the words Open Sesame used to magically swing ajar the heavy stone door and after the bandits leave, uses it to access the shimmering jewels. The concept of using magic words has frequently been utilized in enduring fables. Gandalf had difficulty remembering the words to open the door to the Mine’s of Moria and had to sit down to intensely explore his subconscious mind for a spell, until he finally recalled that it was “Mellon”, the elvish word denoted for friend that opens the door to well being. I’m even told that Harry Potter used this trick once or thrice in similar fashion. One evening as I was grumbling in my search for some magic words to help me stay awake on a midnight shift, I started thinking about how certain s...