Jurmala—In a twist of events worthy of a Latvian sci-fi novella, a local office worker, Sandis Bērziņš, has accidentally created a new time zone inside the break room of 'Baltic Bureaucracy Solutions Ltd.' The discovery was made when Bērziņš noticed that his habitual 45-minute coffee run to the break room inexplicably resulted in a six-hour time lapse, prompting baffled co-workers to dub this phenomenon 'Col’tu Laiks'—a homage to the 19th-century Latvian clockmaker Jānis Col’tu.

The incident unraveled on a typical Monday morning with Bērziņš' usual office tradition: wrestling with the temperamental Krāslava-brand coffee machine. "I knew something was off," Bērziņš recounted. "First, I pressed 'Latte,' but then the LCD displayed a strange message: 'Kļūda 404: Laika jēga nav atrasta' (Error 404: Sense of Time Not Found). Next thing, I was texting my wife about dinner and suddenly realized it was long past lunchtime."

Witnesses claim a peculiar hum and faint glow emanated from the break room around noon. Astounded by the time-shifting revelation, 'Baltic Bureaucracy Solutions Ltd.' HR manager, Justīne Kalniņa, took an immediate recess from jotting enigmatic motivational posters to address the gathered employees. "We have always valued the integration of innovative solutions," Kalniņa announced. "However, creating an exclusive time dimension wasn’t on this quarter’s roadmap. Still, we're optimistic about the potential for improved productivity claims and attractive price hikes on our office rental."

News of the Jurmala anomaly swiftly escalated, catching the attention of Latvian Space Agency analyst, Dr. Niks Neimanis, who is known for his groundbreaking work on Tegumai punctuality. "The Col’tu Laiks effect presents an unprecedented opportunity," Neimanis remarked. "Imagine bi-zonal office operations where half of your day flies and the rest drags significantly. It's every procrastinator's dream! We're exploring commercial ventures with neighboring countries. Estonia's already fenced off Thursdays, apparently."

In response, local economy specialists predict that if leveraged strategically, 'Col’tu Laiks' could render over-caffeinated Baltic citizens enough wiggle room to outcompete famously efficient Finnish timber operations. Simultaneously, domestic chronophobics express unease about potential Grandfather clock mafia backlash—citing possible 'Lost in Time' tax increases.

Astrology influencer and part-time shaman, Līga Priede, weighed in on the impact of the temporal shift on Baltic horoscopes. "This signifies a profound shift in the angular momentum balance among Baltic constellations," Priede said through echoes of lightly incense-perfumed VPN. "Libra and Aquarius should expect double lunch breaks, while Virgos might experience unstable time-related allergic reactions."

As for Sandis Bērziņš, ever the pioneer of progress, he simply shrugged amidst the media frenzy. "I guess if destiny was to make a coffee to change the world, then so be it," he mused, refilling his new workspace thermos. "Now, if only someone could figure out how to get this infernal machine to make a decent cappuccino..."

With support from PhD students at the University of Latvia's Institute of Theoretical Absurdity, continued research seeks to master reverse-engineering coffee-fueled time zones in effort to normalise this newfound jurisdiction of productivity. Until then, the residents of Jurmala might well find themselves adjusting their watches, and perhaps more importantly, their calendars.