To reach Blanchard, he needed to have ALL the numbers, and enter them in the right sequence. But the most critical one was the last-the PIN.

The PIN was a secret numeric code, devised by phone company cryptographers to securely identify an account owner. 

With the right PIN, he'd gain access to a global network of two billion telephones, computers, and fax machines. Without it? Well, he'd be conversing with an automated message.

Once, at an Emmanuel Music garden party, Kush amazed another guest by pointing out, "That NYNEX 'PIN' you just mentioned-did you know it stands for 'Personal Identification Number'?"

Gradually a crowd had gathered. "My Sprint account has a PIN, too."

"Personal Identification Number."

"I'm from out of state. My account and PIN are SouthWest Bell."

"Personal Identification Number."

"I have a Bell Atlantic PIN. What's that?"

"You tell me," he chuckled.

In wonder the group silently absorbed this. Then he dropped another bombshell. "And that's just the beginning--does anyone here have an ATM card?"