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Mikhail Epstein's definitions

chronopathy

chronopathy n. (Gr. khronos, time + Gr. patheia, suffering) Ð a temporality disorder, a deficiency of time sense and inability to manage time, to comply with schedules, etc.
Chronopathy is the unindentified cause of many social disorders and career failures.

Chronopathy can be compared to blindness or dyslexia. As a severe impairment of the time orientation ability, it should be treated as a psychological condition rather than a moral deficiency.
by Mikhail Epstein November 13, 2003
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meetnik (meet + suffix nik)

a person who enjoys meetings and all sorts of administrative events and tries to attend as many of them as possible.
Being socially active is one thing, meeting for the sake of meeting is another. I try to stay away from meetniks for whom getting together is an end in itself. Meeting without meaning is worse than meaning without meeting.
by Mikhail Epstein October 2, 2003
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virtonautics

virtonautics n (virtual + nautics, from Greek nautikos, of ships, sailing, like in astronautics) Ð experimental exploration and development of virtual worlds.
Now virtonautics is still in embryo, but in the future it will become as common an occupation as aeronautics and astronautics today.
by Mikhail Epstein November 2, 2003
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oneirogenic

oneirogenic adj (from Greek oneiros, "dream" + genic; cf. photogenic, telegenic) Ð having a propensity to appear in somebody's dreams.
Some people are photogenic while others are oneirogenic. These characteristics rarely coincide. A person who is plain and unnoticeable in real life may haunt our dreams and imagination.

Have you noticed that cats are more oneirogenic than dogs?

To surprise your friends at a party, ask them: "Do you find me "oneirogenic"? If the answer is "yesÓ, ask them to recall your adventures in their dreams.
by Mikhail Epstein November 2, 2003
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hibyer

hibyer, n. (hi+bye+suffix er)

a marginal acquaintance with whom "hi' and "bye" are the most typical units of verbal exchange; the vocabulary of a minimal relationship.
Do you know this woman? - Not really, we are hibyers.

They were married for ten years, but now they are only hibyers.

I was surprised when hibyer stopped for a more substantial conversation.
by Mikhail Epstein November 16, 2003
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the booming 1990s, the dooming 2000s

a nickname for our decade
American culture likes to divide itself into decades: the prosperous fifties, the rebellious sixties, the egoistic seventies, the greedy the eighties, the booming ninetees… Finally, the dooming
2000s
by Mikhail Epstein October 8, 2003
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netscapism

netscapism n (net + escapism) - an inclination to retreat from unpleasant realities into the electronic network, or virtual world.
In the past, the wild nature and remote countries were the favorite refuge for escapists. Now netscapism, especially among adolescents, has grown into a serious social problem.
by Mikhail Epstein November 7, 2003
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