Why is a car such a nice place to listen to music?
Why is a car such a nice place to listen to music?

After finally finishing the installation of a new head unit and loudspeakers, including new wires, I have noticed that I listen a lot more to music now than in years. Sure, the components are very good, but there are no power amps or subwoofers (yet) so the overall sound isn’t earth-shattering or anything special. But the listening environment is, and the blood sweat and tears that went into the installation matters. And when you season it all with nostalgia, all the planets align for what is close to a perfect listening experience for me.

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Cars, AcousticsRikard Öqvistmusic, car audio, nostalgia, restoration, DIYComment
Writing a blog post in VR
Writing a blog post in VR

For a very long time, VR has been “almost” ready for mass adoption. Tonight, I am doing an experiment by writing this blog post in my VR headset. It works, kind of, but so far it isn’t really a pleasant experience. I am sitting on some kind of platform, floating in infinite space, with a huge virtual computer screen in front of me. So far, it is just a gimmick and not really useful. But quite fun anyway, to try out.

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Diary, ComputerRikard ÖqvistvrComment
It must always get worse before it gets better
It must always get worse before it gets better

Christmas holidays was a perfect time to dive into my car audio project. But as always, I was too optimistic on the time it would take to install and rewire new speakers. I had taken the panels off inside the cabin to route the wires properly, so the car was not in a driveable state and this increasingly annoyed me as the days became weeks. Finally, I decided to just spit in my hands and wrap things up, no matter how long it would take. I didn’t finish until after 04:00 in the morning, having worked for seven hours straight without a break. Was it worth it?

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CarsRikard Öqvistcar audio, project management, adhd, focus, diy Comments
Execution is never a waste of time
Execution is never a waste of time

I was rather satisfied after my first car audio installation last week including a new head unit with new front and rear speakers. But the joy was short-lived. Now, I have pulled out all the speakers again, to start all over. Somewhat frustrating yes, but on the other hand, it is practically impossible to get something right on the first try. As soon as I was finished with the project, I had learned so much that a teardown and rebuild was the only rational thing to do.

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CarsRikard Öqvistdiy, car audio, renovation, experienceComment
A perfect time capsule
A perfect time capsule

Why do we know how sand tastes like? Or dirt, or wood, or mud, or whatever strange material you would never consider eating…? I think the answer is that we have tasted just about every material and substance out there when we were kids. If you’ve been around an infant, you know exactly what I mean. They taste anything they come close to. Which brings me to my second point, Memory.

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CarsRikard Öqvistw124, mercedes benz, classic car, retroComment
Flex office with Clean desk
Flex office with Clean desk

I spoke with a friend today who introduced me to a new concept I haven’t heard before: “Clean desk”. I suppose the idea is to have a flex-office solution where you have a bunch of workstations with laptop docks and then you grab an available one in the morning, and before you leave it should be 100% restored. I have some serious concerns with this approach.

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DiaryRikard Öqvistworkfromhome, office, workplaceComment
The Centennial Light of cars
The Centennial Light of cars

I usually look at my expensive life decisions as an education fee. With that mindset, it is easier to find positive aspects even when life gives you lemons. To become an owner of an old classic car was one of the best decisions of my life. Apart from the obvious economic savings, I have learned several important lessons. The most unexpected one was how much nicer it is to be a customer at a generic workshop instead of a brand-specific one.

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DiaryRikard Öqvistcars, sustainability, right to repair, maintenance, workshopComment
A perfect train trip
A perfect train trip

Shortly after nine o´clock last Sunday morning, I boarded my train. I was heading from Umeå to Malmö, a 12-hour journey with one train change at Stockholm central. Lunch and dinner were pre-booked, and the transfer time was very short. I had booked a 1st class seat with a table and downloaded a bunch of files so that I could work offline during the trip. The trains worked perfectly, I arrived on schedule, well-rested and with proper lunch and dinner. In addition, I managed to do a full day of work onboard. Arriving at Malmö central, there was a short walk to my hotel.

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DiaryRikard Öqvisttrain, malmö, travellingComment
No rules without exception
No rules without exception

After 258 consecutive weeks, I finally missed my weekly upload of a blog post. There are no rules without exceptions, and in my case, it was the worst storm I have ever witnessed. Gusts of wind up to 31 m/s, 38 hours without power in below zero temperatures, no phone or internet connection and completely cut off from civilization by hundreds of fallen trees. In such circumstances, one must adapt, and priorities must shift.

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DiaryRikard Öqviststorm, preppingComment
The car upgrade process has begun
The car upgrade process has begun

When I was 18 with a fresh driver’s license, my top priority was to upgrade my car – a W124 200D – with a subwoofer. The only thing I cared about was to get maximum bass. I put a 12” closed box and power amp in the trunk and from what I remember, it worked quite well! Thinking back now, I do have some serious doubts regarding sound quality when matching terrible factory speakers from the 1980’s with a (then) modern powerful sub. But that was not important then. Bass was. Two and a half decades later, here I am, designing a car audio system for a W124 again. The circle is closed. But this time however, I intend to do it right.

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DiaryRikard Öqvistcar, driving, car audio, w124, DIYComment
Unexpected benefits
Unexpected benefits

The last time I moved, I found some moving boxes that hadn’t been unpacked…since the previous time I moved! This is obviously one of the most pointless things ever. If the contents were so unimportant that you haven’t used them in years and honestly forgot about them, chances are they belong in the trash or the 2nd hand market. However, sometimes there can be exceptions.

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DiaryRikard Öqvistminimalism, organize, home, carsComment
Old vs New car
Old vs New car

Just after 15:00, a beautiful autumn sunset, perfect traffic conditions and around 4 hours on the Swedish main road E4. A full tank of diesel and two nights of proper sleep. It doesn’t get much better than that. I was just smiling in a state of total relaxation. This is what driving is all about. And I haven’t felt it this strongly in years. The W124 has finally arrived in my garage.

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Engineering, Diary, TravelRikard Öqvistcars, driving, safety, evolution, designComment
Can you buy 2nd hand equipment for professional usage?
Can you buy 2nd hand equipment for professional usage?

I recently built an extra home office at my parents’ house with a fully equipped workstation with thunderbolt docking station, two 1440p screens mounted on a premium gas arm, keyboard, mouse and everything you need. The total price was below 2000 SEK. A brand-new setup with equal performance is likely to cost at least 10000 SEK. With some patience and a clear focus, 2nd hand deals are abundant. There is a lot of money to be saved on this road. For the past years, I have learned to shop at auction sites. Mostly electronics, but the principle holds equally well in other areas too. The limiting factor is time.

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Engineering, ComputerRikard Öqvistreuse, 2nd hand, auction, sustainability, enterpriseComment
Building design in VR
Building design in VR

Do you recognize this feeling? You are working on a report or a text document, and you proofread it 10 times without finding any errors, and then send it to the printer. While proofreading the physical copy, you often discover several issues within seconds or minutes, that you have been staring at on the screen, completely unable to see. It has happened to me more times than I can count. Moral of the story; By engaging other neural pathways in your brain, you will bring new insights even with very familiar input data. Tonight, I had just that experience in VR.

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Engineering, AcousticsRikard ÖqvistVR, vrex, acoustics, engineering, BIM, designComment
Why a real car should be analogue
Why a real car should be analogue

Nowadays, all cars have electronic parking brakes. This makes me worried, when I consider the declining birth rates and the threat of population collapse. Up until the turn of the millennia, the handbrake was an important component in human reproduction. When a male identified an attractive female, he would usually engage the handbrake and slide the car. This manoeuvre was very effective in attracting female attention, and usually resulted in 2,5 kids and a Volvo on the driveway some years later.

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DiaryRikard Öqvistcars, motorcycle, petrolhead, driving, futureComment
A proper barn-find?
A proper barn-find?

I recently sold my Kodiaq L&K SUV, and now I plan to replace it with a 31-year-old classic W124. It all started out as an obvious way to save money because my wife is not commuting while on parental leave and it did not make sense to have two expensive cars rusting away in the carport. We decided to try and get by with only one car. Before long, we realized that a 2nd car is indeed a very good idea when you’re living in the countryside. But it does not have to be anything fancy if you only need it a couple of times per month. I then remembered that my grandfathers very nice W124 has been collecting dust in a garage for at least a decade. Is this a proper barn find perhaps?

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DiaryRikard Öqvistcars, retro, sustainability, classic, mercedes benz, analog, petrolheadComment
Out of touch
Out of touch

The Swedish government introduced a “scrapping bonus” in august, for those who want to replace their old car with an EV. A whopping 10 000 SEK in bonus and the requirement is that the car must be road-worthy, and you must have owned it for more than a year. Apparently, almost no-one has taken them up on the offer, what a shocker. During the first month, only 28 bonuses had been paid out of the 250 million SEK. It is moving a bit slower than expected, because the original plan was to do during 2024-2025. At first, I had to double-check whether I had read correctly. Unfortunately, I did, and this might be the most out-of-touch idea I have heard in a long time. But it gets worse…

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PhilosophyRikard Öqvisthumanity, environmentalism, EV, cars, poverty, futureComment
Canine early-warning system
Canine early-warning system

Dogs and humans have been together for some 30 000 years or thereabouts. We are so intertwined that our evolutionary progression is linked. Apparently, when hunter-gatherers domesticated dogs back in the day, they obviously served as an excellent early-warning system. Dogs are more alert and will detect any incoming danger well before us humans. This is a killer feature and no wonder that we have become good friends over the years. Here’s a cool fact about dogs. Your sleep quality improves if you have a snoring dog nearby.

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DiaryRikard Öqvistdogs, sleep, rest, labradorComment
Offline
Offline

Last Tuesday, I had five consecutive Teams meetings booked. I landed with the early morning flight, and connected to the first meeting while in the car on the way to my ordinary office around 30 minutes from the airport. My plan was to transfer the call to my workstation upon arrival. Instead, as I parked my car, I got disconnected. Before long, I realized that I had no reception on my phone. Unfortunately, my office isn’t connected to fibre, and thus I am running a 5G broadband service. The problem is that when the phone tower dies, I am completely cut off from the world.

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Computer, Engineering, HabitsRikard Öqvistredundancy, backup, work, internet, failureComment
Train or airplane?
Train or airplane?

This Monday, I had a morning meeting in Gothenburg. Since I am a tired old man nowadays, I detest the morning flights, especially with connections. It means waking up before going to bed and feeling like a flipper ball with all the transfers, security checks and stress. I sincerely hate it. However, a mate of mine advised me to grab the night train. When the train works, it is fantastic. There are two killer features with the train. No connections and when you wake up you are precisely in the city center.

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DiaryRikard Öqvisttravelling, train, flying, business tripComment