Contrast keeps you sane

While talking to a colleague last week, I went on a rant regarding cognitive work. I sometimes have a strong urge to work with something where I can just turn on the autopilot and cruise for a while. But it seems like that day never comes to me. I am a specialist consultant, and I find my work very difficult most of the time. And every time a palette drops, and I finally figure out how to solve a specific problem, you might think that life should get a little easier. But no… the only thing that happens is that the difficulty setting increases even more. It feels like mental tractor pulling.

Engineering, HabitsRikard ÖqvistMay 3, 2024work, job, engineering, health, musicComment

There is no place like home

The most frustrating thing about being an acoustician (for me) is the delay between you giving a recommendation to a client and the final result. This process typically takes several years. I have had many sleepless nights (metaphorically speaking) where I have thought about specific technical solutions like floor structures or junctions. And when I finally send my documents to be used for the construction of a building, that’s typically it. I never hear about it again, except for some control measurements at the building site in the best-case scenario. But I want to know how the final product turned out! Last week, I decided to do something about it and went on a road trip visiting eight of our dwelling projects.

Engineering, AcousticsRikard ÖqvistAugust 15, 2022photography, engineering, travelling, work, family Comments

Lessons from parental leave

Tomorrow starts my third week of 100% focus on dad duties. It’s been an interesting time, and a fantastic boot camp for learning better micro-management skills. No matter what task you are trying to accomplish, the only person that can have your back every single time is your past self. Preparation and Routines are crucial. From breakfast to dog walks, you won’t have time to look for misplaced stuff. I have found these weeks thoroughly enjoyable, and it has been the perfect healing that I badly needed for my soul.

Acoustics, Engineering, ParentingRikard ÖqvistJuly 12, 2022kids, parenting, engineering, civil engineering, consulting, acoustics, personalityComment

50 years of progress

A couple of weeks ago, I was checking out a musician 2nd hand site. And I noticed something extremely unusual for a site like that, a vintage Bruel and Kjaer type 2209 sound level analyzer. There is something very appealing with the design of vintage measurement equipment. Everything from the big knobs and clunky switches to the choice of text font just oozes with hand made quality. I thought that this would make an excellent addition to our Umeå office. As a conversation starter, it doesn’t get much better than a professional sound level meter from five decades ago.

AcousticsRikard ÖqvistApril 25, 2022retro, vintage, acoustics, engineering, norsonic, bruel&kjaerComment

VR Motion sickness

Many years ago, I tried Virtual Reality (VR) for the first time. It was the Oculus Rift developers kit, one of the very first Head Mounted Displays (HMD) that was the result of a KickStarter campaign in 2012. It looked like a pair of ski goggles superglued to an iPad. I remember that I went for a ride on a rollercoaster that was extreme, even with some jumps. I played around for about 15 minutes and then suffered from severe motion sickness for about three hours. The concept was extremely cool, but clearly the technology had a long way to go. Last week I pulled the trigger and got my first VR HMD (HP Reverb G2). My gut feeling is that the technology is now mature enough to provide a lot of value. In the coming months, I will evaluate how VR can be used in civil engineering and acoustics.

Acoustics, EngineeringRikard ÖqvistApril 5, 2021vr, virtual reality, acoustics, engineering, civil engineering, ifcComment