BACK TO THE FUTUREBACK TO THE FUTUREBACK TO THE FUTUREBACK TO THE FUTURE MICHAEL J. DI STASIO DIRECTOR: SAE INSTITUTE - JAPAN OPERATIONS + NIK’S HIGH-SCHOOL MUSIC/DRAMA TEACHER 1981 – 1986

For the last two decades I had been expecting to see the face of Nik adorning the monthly covers of the

great global guitar magazines - Clapton, Hendrix, Satriani, King … Halik ! I had often wondered where that

boy with that unforgettable cheeky smile - that child-prodigy with the playing power and passion of someone

like Stanley Jordan - had got to. In fact, his life-focus had replaced one type of “rock” with another ie. an

intense exploration of the third “rock” from the sun … and then some ! In “The Thrillionaire”, Nik often drew

samples from popular culture to illustrate his thinking … Star Wars, The Matrix, Dead Poet’s Society et al. So,

as his “Doc” from the 1980s classroom, and to maintain Nik’s “The Thrillionaire” writing theme (which makes this book so readable and

appealing) I draw on this movie-trilogy - a film series that was playing in that same decade Nik and I shared the same space-time in a

classroom; a time when the De Lorean DMC (never a good investment – apart from the fact that it “moves” !) claimed to give us a

glimpse of the future ! Unlike Nik, the De Lorean DMC was a short-lived “fad”. The Halik NIK proves to be a long-term “mission”.

In his book, Nik gives due credit and honour to his parents – who not only gave him a biological future, but also gave selflessly and

without counting the cost. Every mother, father, grandfather, grandmother, uncle, auntie, friend and teacher will many times in their life

listen to the aspirations and dreams of a wide-eyed, eager child. They have the opportunity to feed, ignore or deride those ambitions.

Mr. Strickland: I noticed your band is on the roster for the dance auditions after school today. Why even bother, McFly? You

don't have a chance, you're too much like your old man. No McFly ever amounted to anything in the history of Hill Valley!

Marty McFly: Yeah, well, history is gonna change.

Nik was not spooked by derision nor the incredulity expressed by others when he spoke of his dreams for the future. Neither did he stand

on a soap-box and attempt to preach to convert them. Back in the 80s, he let his fingers do the talking ! Who can forget the Back To The

Future scene where Michael J. Fox played “Johnny B. Goode”. Back then, the “Marty McFly” character was ahead of his time but had the

advantage of “hindsight”. Nik, instead, had the “vision” and realised his own future. His time-machine was in his head, heart and soul.

Marty McFly: I guess you guys aren't ready for that yet, but your kids are gonna love it. ...

Yesterday’s sceptics are now paying a lot more attention to Nik and are perhaps kicking themselves for their arrogance and

short-sightedness. As Nik found, you can fix an eye with innovative surgery, but when the mind is short-sighted, it takes a whole lot more

work to repair. Perhaps “The Thrillionaire” can assist those whose minds are in “screen-saver” mode – appearing to be active, but really

just mimicking involvement – just “Biff Tannens” that want to hold us all back at their level.

Dr. Emmett Brown: Roads? Where we're going we don't need roads.

Through his intense focus and deep passion, Nik has forged his own pathways which his book serves so well to demonstrate. But he

does not selfishly hoard his accumulated experience and wisdom. Instead he finds ways to Pay It Forward. More power to Nik and us! …

And about the photo … Those eyes and smile have not aged. Those who meet Nik now, and those in the future, will be greeted by that

same infectious energy and passion. Nik has explored the three dimensions of “space” and soon “outer space”. But a glance at the

above snapshot, and looking at more recent photos of him, makes me wonder if he hasn’t already found a way to move through “time”.