Vitamin C

Ever since I came to know about the beneficial effects of vitamin C as advocated by Linus Pauling, I have tried to include this vitamin in my diet. Linus Pauling was a very rare scientist who won the prestigious Nobel Prize twice, the first one (in Chemistry in 1954) for his work on the nature of chemical bonds and the second one (for peace in 1962) for his efforts to stem nuclear weapons proliferation.
I believe that a scientist of his caliber should be correct. My trust in his findings had the additional support from ayurveda, the ancient system of medicine that has been popular in India from time immemorial. In ashtangahridaya, one of the authoritative books on ayurveda, there is a chapter on rasayanas (tonics) which discusses the preparation of chyavanaprasha (chyavanprash), the famous tonic that restored the health of Chyavana Maharshi. (This preparation is very popular in India even today. In fact, its popularity is so great that you can find many companies in India manufacturing and marketing this tonic on gigantic scale). A very significant ingredient in chyavanaprasha is gooseberry which is rich in vitamin C.
Ayurveda requires that one should consume a suitable rasayana for physical and mental health. Interestingly, the converse also is true according to ayurveda: A person who has good physical and mental health might be taking some suitable rasayana!
My personal experience is that a 500mg vitamin C tablet per day in the chewable form is good for preventing the common cold and such viral diseases when the likelihood of catching such diseases is suspected. When you consume such a tablet, you will be getting a total quantity of more than 500mg since your food items will contain additional quantity of vitamin C. Since vitamin C is ascorbic acid, I never take the tablet in an empty stomach and I consume a lot of water. You can get more interesting information on vitamin C here.

A Bed with Adjustable Width

An idea which came to my mind long time back was about a bed of adjustable width. Perhaps many of you might have longed for such a bed at some point of time. To be frank, I thought of it when my first baby was born.
In Kerala couples usually allow their babies to sleep with them in the same bed up to the age of one year. There might be variations, but all couples here surely might have slept in the same bed with their baby in between them. The necessity of a broader bed then is relevant, especially on account of the tropical summer coupled with the frequent electric power failure in those days. (Occasional power failure is not uncommon in Kerala even today. I thought of uploading this post some three hours back, but there was no power supply then!).
When you want to adjust the width of a bed, the main problem is the adjustment of the width of the cot (the piece of wooden furniture used for arranging the bed on it). Double cots with width 4 feet and 5 feet are common here. Whatever the width, how to make the width of the cot adjustable? You can have a wooden (or plastic) plank hinged at the side of the cot. The plank could be fitted with legs of adjustable height. These legs should be easily removable and re-attachable so that the plank can be conveniently folded down whenever required, to restore the original width of the cot. You can make it foldable upwards also so that the plank will serve as a barrier for the safety of your baby. These things are quite simple to design, once you are up to make such an adjustable cot.
Once you make such a multipurpose cot of adjustable width, you can arrange your bed on it in accordance with your requirement.
I am just giving you the idea of the bed of adjustable width. You can make your own original design and market the product. If you want any more suggestions in this regard, please let me know through your comments.
One final point at the moment: You can think of a universal attachment that can be fixed to any cot.

Introductory Remarks

This blog is meant for giving useful ideas to you . You may be a scientist, a teacher, a student, an administrator, a politician, an industrialist or an ordinary citizen. But all of you will definitely like to have useful ideas. As far as possible, new ideas will be posted here. Let me have your comments on them. And don’t hesitate to make critical comments.

Attention Toilet Soap Manufacturers!

The following idea has been in my mind for quite a long time. Manufacturers of toilet soaps may see whether this idea is of use to them.
One problem with the current method of packing toilet soaps is that by the time you use half of the soap, it loses a good share of its perfume and sometimes even its shape. Why not pack it as a two-in one soap? What I mean is this:
Instead of packing the soap as a single continuous homogeneous block, you make an inner block, cover it with thin polythene and then make an outer block, covering the inner one with the outer block. Finally the outer block carrying the polythene covered block of soap inside it, is to be packed as usual. This two-in-one soap can be made with the same perfume or, you may use two different perfumes for the inner and outer blocks.
The benefit of this type of packing is that once you finish off the outer soap block within a few days, you arrive at the inner block (inside polythene cover). On tearing off the polythene cover, you have a fresh piece at your disposal (with the same perfume or a different perfume if you want).
The soap will last longer, since the waste may be reduced. I don’t know whether this last point is agreeable from a business point of view!