A vain attempt to crawl out of the holiday funk ...

A few weeks ago, I wrote about a rising and extremely prolific marketing scam that I’ve been able to trace back to operators in Nigeria. Using highly personalized (AI-generated) email solicitations th...

Companies keep betting on the next bestseller. Literature is poorer for it

Author: Karolina VaitkeliūnaitėAffiliation: Baltic Institute of Erotic Neurolinguistics, Department of Bad Habits and Good Outfits Introduction There’s a paradox I live by: I want to be seen but not spoken to, admired but not engaged, desired but not touched. This is why I spend hours in bars, cafés, and coffee shops, dressed just enough to suggest availability, positioned just enough to radiate unapproachability.

The Erotic Umlaut: A Trilogy of Mispronunciation and Desire Author: Lina V Overview The Erotic Umlaut is a tragicomic exploration of how one woman’s libido was hijacked by German consonants, derailed in Hamburg, disappointed in Ibiza, and finally undone by a dumpling in Vilnius. Equal parts anthropology, psychology, memoir, and sarcasm, this book presents the “Umlaut Trilogy” as a case study in the irrationality of desire.

Author: Karolina VaitkeliūnaitėAffiliation: Baltic Institute of Erotic Neurolinguistics, Department of Apocalyptic Studies Introduction Another week, another rapture. Americans donned metaphorical white robes, looked skyward, refreshed their timelines — and nothing happened. Again. As a Lithuanian anthropologist, I cannot resist. I have seen ruins, idols, fertility rites, even my own reflection in demon masks. But nothing fascinates me like the American devotion to scheduled apocalypse.

Author: Karolina VaitkeliūnaitėAffiliation: Baltic Institute of Erotic Neurolinguistics, Department of Seasonal Affective Delusions Introduction Every September, Americans collectively lose their minds over a latte that tastes like a Yankee Candle factory fire. The cult of Pumpkin Spice returns like migratory birds, except instead of flight patterns, it’s Instagram stories captioned “sweater weather vibes.” As an anthropologist, I cannot ignore this seasonal rite.