Lessons from man’s best friend
Lessons from man’s best friend

Recently, my sister had to put one of her beloved dogs to sleep abruptly. Things can change fast. What seemed to be a healthy guy and ran 15 km on the spring ice in the archipelago, was gone a couple of days later after an extremely aggressive cancer diagnosis. It wasn’t really expected because he was only seven years old and hadn’t shown any suspicions signs. Sad as it is, it is also a healthy reminder that the same rules apply to us humans, albeit over a somewhat more extended timeframe.

Read More
HabitsRikard Öqvistdogs, health, life, habits, focusComment
Can an engineer use Apple computers?
Can an engineer use Apple computers?

I have used a Macbook as my private computer for a couple of years, but it never occurred to me that I can use it as a professional workstation as a civil engineer. Not until now. My regular company tablet PC, an HP Elite X2, has easily been my worst computer experience of all time. Even though it is fully specced and upgraded, it still is borderline unusable. At least if I am not running Linux on it – then it works perfectly. But that’s another story. The issue is likely the ultra-low voltage 15 W CPU which runs at 100% pretty much all the time. Don’t be fooled by the quad-core i7 logo. It is nowhere near the performance its name indicate. Anyway, the problem is that many of my crucial engineering apps are Windows only. Now I have learned that this is not a problem at all.

Read More
Engineering, ComputerRikard Öqvistapple, microsoft, civil engineering, windows, macosComment
Keep your eyes on the prize
Keep your eyes on the prize

When I became active on social media a couple of years ago, I discovered the phenomenon of so called “haters”. They exist both in real life and online, but it sure seems as if they are more common online. The pattern often repeats like this, the first weeks or months (depending on your virality), the comments section usually becomes active with people who try to bring you down. My best example is when I have been documenting my progress of learning how to play the drums. Negative comments were more common in the first year, but from year two and onwards, it feels as if they have vanished. I guess it is not that fun to harass someone who couldn’t care less even if he tried.

Read More
Music, HabitsRikard Öqvistdrums, consistency, focus, inspiration, practiceComment
Why spend time on something that you can outsource?
Why spend time on something that you can outsource?

Outsourcing is fantastic. I do it all of the time for many things both professionally and in private. But there are also things that I spend a lot of time on, even though I could solve a specific problem 10X faster by simply handing it over to someone else. The problem is that I enjoy certain problems, crazy as it may sound. The perfect example for me is to build a new workstation PC. I could solve that problem in minutes by outsourcing it. But to build it myself is something that I enjoy so much that I simply cannot rob myself of that pleasure. Even though it will certainly drive me crazy at times.

Read More
Diary, Engineering, ComputerRikard Öqvistdiy, pc, physics, progressComment
Sustainable computing
Sustainable computing

I have learned the hard way that internet speed is almost irrelevant and that what really matters is latency. Since 2019, we live in the countryside where there is no fiber broadband connection to be found in the near future. Instead, our only option is to use a permanent 4G connection which gives great speed up to 200 Mbps with the external antennas on the roof compared to about 50 Mbps with the modems original antennas. However, the latency never goes below 40 ms which might not sound like much, but depending on your usage scenario, it can drive you insane. In comparison, a fiber connection lies in the 4-5 ms domain.

Read More
ComputerRikard Öqvistrdp, vpn, remote desktop, network, workfromhomeComment
The easiest decision I have ever made
The easiest decision I have ever made

What is the red line that turns you into an alcoholic? This question implies that there is a healthy level of consumption that has zero or positive effect on your total life outcome. Maybe there is such a thing, I do not know. I have been thinking a lot about these questions in the past months, and not just with alcohol but with any activity that can become an addiction. I like to use alcohol as my primary thought experiment, because I embraced a complete booze celibacy in early 2019. And I base that decision on that I cannot conceive any way, shape or form that my total life outcome improves because of alcohol consumption. No matter how I approach the subject, I come out with the same conclusion; that I am better off – all things included – by abstaining.

Read More
Food & Drink, Parenting, PhilosophyRikard Öqvistdrugs, addiction, parenting, alcoholComment
How to mask a bad habit
How to mask a bad habit

A couple of years ago, when I was living in the city, I used to ride the bus to work. My destination was one station beyond the city´s primary bus station - Vasaplan. When the bus arrived at Vasaplan, the driver turned off the engine and waited for a couple of minutes before continuing the route. Sometimes, there were people talking with each other or on their phones, but you could usually never hear them in the noisy bus. But as soon as the engine sound vanished, the environment got quiet and you could instantly hear every word in the nearby conversation. And as soon as the bus continued its route, the background noise came back and consequently the conversation became inaudible. This is a perfect example of a phenomenon called “sound masking”.

Read More
PhilosophyRikard Öqvisthabits, alcohol, addiction, dogs, walking, evilComment
Is learning painful?
Is learning painful?

I used to think that you can acquire knowledge in two ways. For the most part, you learn something new – a building block – that can be added to your existing framework. Just like an additional piece of a puzzle. But sometimes you would come across new knowledge that was incompatible with your existing framework, and consequently you had to tear down a small or big part of your explanation model of the world and replace it with an improved explanation model. The first part is effortless, and the second part is somewhat painful. In rare cases, you can learn something new that flips your entire puzzle over and forces you to start anew. No wonder there is a saying that “ignorance is bliss”.

Read More
Philosophy, EducationRikard Öqvistlearning, habits, knowledge, addictionComment
What computer is best for an acoustican?
What computer is best for an acoustican?

Back in 2019 I bought my first tablet computer, a fully-specced HP Elite X2. I had counted on doing a lot of business trips and when you’re flying a lot, a tablet is hard to beat. Well, shortly thereafter most travel plans were cancelled for a couple of years, so I ended up with a very slow desktop solution instead. It didn’t take long before the tablet ended up as a part of my travel kit and I replaced it with a proper desktop workstation. However, I just moved into a new (secondary) office and once again I need to go back to the laptop+docking station path. In this post I will list some of my thoughts about what might be valuable for me in my work as an acoustician.

Read More
Computer, Acoustics, EducationRikard Öqvistworkstation, laptop, tablet, gpu, egpu, VR, 3DComment
Why did I stop listening to music?
Why did I stop listening to music?

I remember driving in the early noughties. The first thing I did after I got my driver’s license was to install a nice car stereo and a 12” subwoofer in the trunk. I always listened to music. I could figure out excuses to go for a drive just so that I could listen to more music. And I listened to music constantly when I was not driving too. Nowadays my music consumption isn’t even close, and it has to a large degree been replaced by audiobooks and podcasts. Why is this?

Read More
Diary, Philosophy, Computer, MusicRikard Öqvistmusic, culture, movies, gaming, pc, audiobook, podcastComment
Self-solving problems and pleasant surprises
Self-solving problems and pleasant surprises

Last week I had a couple of sound measurements planned in Eskilstuna and Uppsala. However, just a couple of days before departure, I realized that I had forgotten to book a hotel. In big cities, that is usually not a problem, but in a smaller city like Eskilstuna it is quite possible that all the rooms run out on a given night. And that is precisely what happened to me. I found one room left on a place called Thottska Villan, about 20-25 minutes from the city centre. When you consider that you park in front of the entrance, I am not convinced that I even lost any time. But when I arrived on site, I was blown away by what turned out to be jackpot as far as hotel nights go.

Read More
Diary, Parenting, Travel, MusicRikard Öqvistroad trip, travelling, hotel, surprise, expectationComment
Red light is awesome
Red light is awesome

A couple of years ago, I was very interested in stargazing. One important and useful lesson that I learned when carrying around large telescopes in very dark places, was that red light is your best friend. When you spend time in darkness, eventually your eyes will adjust their ability to see in darkness. If you are exposed to strong light from e.g., a flashlight, headlight or device screen, you will instantly overload your sensitive eyes and consequentially wait for a while until your eyes adjust themselves back. Needless to say, it is thus crucial to adapt your eyes when stargazing – and to keep them that way until you are done. But how to orient oneself in pitch black darkness? By using red light!

Read More
Photography, Diary, EducationRikard Öqvistrgb, physics, light, stargazing, telescope, nightComment
Accelerate, it might work!
Accelerate, it might work!

For a couple of months now, I have occasionally been a bit angry with myself, struggling to stay focused for prolonged periods of time. I have had this problem for as long as I can remember, and it does not serve me well. Well, there’s probably some kind of upside even to that, but I can’t think of it at the moment. However, I have found a quick fix for this problem that was blatantly obvious. I have put a small photograph of one of my sons on my desk, just below my computer monitor. That way, he will never leave my field of vision ever. And every time my eyes pass by, it puts a smile on my face and instantly guides me back to the right path again. As soon as my mind starts to drift, I look at him and remember that whatever I am thinking of, it is probably not as important as finishing what I am working on ASAP so that I will get a couple of more minutes with the family.

Read More
ParentingRikard Öqvistfocus, parenting, priorities Comment
There is no work-life balance
There is no work-life balance

About ten years ago, I was the lead guitar player in a successful metal band called Meadows End. Playing on that level, including international tours, was something I had dreamt about since I was a little kid. A couple of thousand hours of hard work later I finally achieved my goal. The joy was unfortunately cut short. After only two albums, my life hit a fork in the road. I was writing my PhD thesis at the same time and had been under heavy stress for a long time. After many long conversations with my wife, and mental gymnastics on how to make it work even though it meant placing three suitcases (career, family and the band) in a baggage compartment that had room for two, I finally realized that I had to let go of one of them. That was the hardest decision of my life.

Read More
Engineering, Diary, Acoustics, ParentingRikard Öqvistfamily, career, goals, teaching, music, bim, civil engineeringComment
Two wrongs can make a right
Two wrongs can make a right

Yesterday I decided to clean one of my computers, which had a thick layer of dust on every single component inside. I used compressed air, which is a very nice option. However, you must be careful not to point the jet directly at a fan, because it will spin up to extreme speed in no time. That’s why it is a good idea to block the fan from moving, before your compressed air goes anywhere near the fan. I was in a bit of a hurry and slipped with my blocking of the CPU cooler. In a couple of 1/10ths of a second I heard the sound of a fan spinning up from zero rpm to like 20000 and it instantly ripped itself to shreds. There were broken plastic fins everywhere. To assess the damage I decided to remove the heatsink and inspect the cooler. I loosened the fasteners and pulled straight up and BAM. The CPU was ripped out from its socket because the thermal paste had hardened to something resembling epoxy glue. I also bent a couple of CPU pins in the process. Two pretty serious mishaps happened in about one minute. However, I am grateful for the important lessons I learned.

Read More
Diary, Computer, PhilosophyRikard Öqvistdiy, repair, fixing, retro computers, electronicsComment
Computer necromancer vs Knitting
Computer necromancer vs Knitting

At the dinner today, I told my wife that I today had listened to a very interesting podcast about computer power supply units (PSU) with one of the world’s foremost experts on the topic. I might not be as painfully self-aware as James “Here’s an interesting fact about screwdrivers, for people who are interested in screwdrivers” May, but apparently enough to not be surprised by her bursting into laughter, with her mouth full of food. That kind of laughter you struggle to keep inside, because of the messy consequences. It is probably one of the nerdiest things she has encountered. Ever. Isn’t the internet lovely, that you can find such very high quality content on ANY topic within ANY micro-niche?

Read More
Computer, PhilosophyRikard Öqvistvintage, retro computers, refurbish, pcComment
Christmas Cancelled
Christmas Cancelled

Perhaps the best thing about the Christmas holidays is that pretty much everything stops. The email is silent. The phone is silent. It even got more silent than what we had planned. Our respective families are split between two cities separated by a 4-hour drive, and we take turns every other year on the 24th of December. This year it was Umeå’s turn. We were planning to head North a day or two later to celebrate “small” Christmas/New year instead with the other half of the family. Unfortunately, that didn’t come about due to illness and on duty work. That’s rather sad, but there’s usually a positive flip side to the coin.

Read More
Diary, ParentingRikard Öqvistfamily, parenting, rest, teambuildingComment
The closest thing to seeing the face of God
The closest thing to seeing the face of God

We were just about to leave for Christmas celebration this past Saturday, when my soon to be 4-year-old son shouts out “Wait dad!” and runs off back into the house to our two Labrador retrievers. First the old one got a big hug and a “Merry Christmas Gibson!” and then the 2nd dog got an equally big hug and a “Merry Christmas Jussi!”. And then he tells me “Dad, we must give chewing bones to the dogs because it is Christmas eve, and they should also get gifts.” I was so surprised by this spontaneous display of love and couldn’t stop laughing and smiling because it was one of the cutest things I have ever seen. It was so nice of him, and I was not expecting it at all. But he had it all figured out. That’s one of the coolest (and scariest) things with kids. They are always at least one step ahead of you. I.e., they always understand a lot more than what you think.

Read More
Diary, Philosophy, ParentingRikard Öqvistchildren, love, parenting, growthComment
2nd hand Christmas presents and shared passion
2nd hand Christmas presents and shared passion

This year I finished the Christmas presents with a couple of weeks of margin for the first time ever. The most important thing is to find some wonderful experiences for my boys. I managed to grab a couple of 2nd hand bargains on Tradera (Swedish Ebay). My older son loves Legos and vehicles and before long I found a super nice and large fire truck which I grabbed for 200 SEK (new price close to 2000 SEK) and a small jet plane for half the price of a lunch. The only thing that is missing is the sealed boxes. He’ll get cardboard boxes and plastic bags with Legos instead, and I don’t think he will care at all. I wonder what the Lego group is thinking about my 2nd hand purchases. Reusing instead of new is wise of course, but I also wonder if they consider it a lost sale?

Read More
DiaryRikard Öqvistchristmas, lego, music, 2nd handComment
Don’t waste your time with daytime noise measurements
Don’t waste your time with daytime noise measurements

Last week I got an urgent call to measure noise from installations as soon as humanly possible, in a project which have had some problems with too loud ventilation. The problem had just been mitigated (hopefully) but they still needed a protocol to give the green light to the building. I basically booked the next possible flight and went to Stockholm. Usually, I hate doing these one-day trips. They can often be exhausting. This time however, it wasn’t a complete disaster. I had planned extreme margins both before and after the measurement. Still, I learned a couple of valuable lessons on why these one-day trips are a bad idea anyway.

Read More
Engineering, AcousticsRikard Öqvistnoise, installations, ventilation, acoustics, buildings, quality Comments