B is For Bubbles

How many of us blew bubbles as little children? Even as adults we might have indulged in this favorite activity with our own children or family members.  We need an excuse to engage in this fun again!

Well, one bubble that we don't normally think about is a concept or what I would call a creative bubble.  Every product ever created began with an idea. That is the basis of author Kenneth Thurber's book Trends Waves Windows & Bubbles.

He identified trends in technology and made the link to overall sales in business. Mention was also made of the advancements in computer technology.  He traced how computers evolved from huge bulky machines to lightweight tablets and ipads.

I wrote this review on 26 March 2014. Here is my review:

                   

Trends Waves Windows & Bubbles is a very informative book outlining the evolution of products and their resulting sales quota.  Products are essentially the end result of ideas.  For example, an inventor would have conceptualized the need for a word processor.  In years to come, another inventor tried to match this and come up with a much smaller and cheaper version – the personal computer.  Mr. Thurber further revealed that trends are in fact extensions of creative ideas.  Trends can be positive or detrimental to businesses in terms of sales.  Mr. Thurber also explained that as opportunities develop for products to be launched, these opportunities or windows represent this new phase.  One example of this is that an investor might see the need to pump some money into the production of a particular product.  However, sometimes many products that are similar can create a surplus on the market.  This in turn can lead to a loss of income or demand for a product.  According to Mr. Thurber, this resembles a bubble that has burst.

Mr. Thurber has done a good job in describing the business of supply and demand.  His analogy to water and sea imagery is very effective in getting his point across.  I also like the darker background of a few of the chapters.  This encourages you to continue reading.  It also lessens the boredom.  The references to well known businesses like Google and IBM are well placed.  This along with the insertion of graphs showing the demand for particular products makes the book more relevant to the reader.  If the reader is up to date with current trends, this book is a very interesting read.  I am impressed with the amount of research that Mr. Thurber has done.  The photographs of the CPT 8000 series machine and the 1965 data processing plant really portray how far technology has advanced.  It is unbelievable that nowadays a tablet is so light when compared to the CPT 8000 machine!  Trends Waves Windows & Bubbles is not for everyone.  It is geared towards readers who seek knowledge about things that are technologically oriented.

Reviewed by Valerie Rouse for Readers Favorite