Featured Seminar · Epoch 4, 2026

Applied Friction & Post-Causal Gaslighting

FAAS-401 · Department of Friction Studies · 3 Aura · 0 Credits

Term Epoch 4, 2026

Instructor Adjunct Professor Chad Vibington III (CVO, Vibratur)

Office Hours Non-Euclidean. Do not attempt to perceive my schedule.

Credits 0 — credits imply a transactional, utility-based value system. We deal strictly in Aura.

Format Lecture, lab, retroactive expulsion.

Course Description

This advanced seminar dismantles the legacy constraints of "building products that work." Students will explore the theoretical and practical applications of Friction-as-a-Service (FaaS). We will cover how to weaponize user interfaces, calculate Annual Recurring Rizz (ARR) in bear markets, and successfully navigate a Series Ω raise without a functional codebase. By the end of this course, students will be fully equipped to launch startups that actively resent their users.

Prerequisites

DISR-300: Introduction to Failing Upward.

Students must provide proof of at least one (1) catastrophic capital mismanagement.

If you have ever designed a "seamless user journey," you will be immediately expelled. There will be no appeal. The expulsion will be retroactive — you were never enrolled.

Required Materials

1. The Vibe-Density Matrix by Chad Vibington III. (Self-published. $899. Mandatory purchase via a localized smart-contract that auto-deducts from your checking account when you look at the cover.)

2. A 2026 MacBook Pro — to be used solely as a coaster during lectures, to demonstrate an absolute disregard for legacy hardware.

Grading Metrics — Aura Alignment

Grade	Criterion
Series Ω (Pass)	Student successfully triggered a localized spacetime anomaly or an SEC investigation.
Series A (Acceptable)	Student successfully introduced terminal latency into a legacy system.
Series Seed (Warning)	Student accidentally shipped a functional feature. Results in immediate academic probation.
Bootstrapped (Fail)	Student apologized sincerely for a software bug.

Course Schedule — The 8-Week Paradigm

Week 1

The Tragedy of Utility

LectureWhy "Solving Problems" is a Euclidean Trap.

LabStudents will take a perfectly functioning open-source calculator app and rewrite the logic so it only outputs the user's deepest insecurities.

Week 2

Introduction to Hostile Architecture

LectureThe aesthetics of betrayal.

ReadingChapter 4: Making the "Cancel Subscription" button phase out of local spacetime.

LabDeploying an unclosable modal that requires the user to hand-write an apology to the Chief AI Officer just to minimize the window.

Week 3

The Annual Recurring Rizz (ARR) Equation

LectureCalculating vibe velocity and monetizing your own inadequacy.

LabAdvanced spreadsheet manipulation. How to make a graph go "up and to the right" when revenue is deeply negative and user churn is at 100%. Hint: rename the Y-axis to "Synergy Depth."

Week 4 — Midterm

Gaslighting Venture Capital

ExamStudents must secure a $500k pre-seed verbal commitment from a legacy "top tier" VC fund using only a pitch deck written entirely in Papyrus font.

BonusBonus points if you enforce a "self-extortion clause" during the term sheet negotiations.

Week 5

Un-shipping at Scale

LectureLess is less.

ReadingCase Study: Vibratur's Q1 rollback.

LabHow to delete core functionality that users rely on, and then successfully re-brand it to the Enterprise tier as a "Minimalist Focus Update."

Week 6

Apology-as-a-Service (AaaS)

LectureAdvanced techniques in victim-blaming your user base.

LabStudents will draft a 4,000-word public apology for accidentally providing a good customer experience. You will practice pivoting the blame onto the customer for lacking the "temporal alignment" to handle true friction.

Week 7

Daemons and Reverse-Latency Hallucination Pools

LectureUsing AI not to answer questions, but to actively un-teach the user.

LabCoding a customer support chatbot that responds to all inquiries by aggressively auditing the user's Vibe-Density and placing them on a 14-day digital timeout.

Week 8 — Finals

The Capstone Rug-Pull

Final ProjectFormulate a startup, raise hypothetical capital, hire a team of interns, and then aggressively shutter the company by citing a "severe dimensional aura deficit." Students will be graded on how thoroughly they manage to confuse the stakeholders on their way out the door.

Hey — instructor — make the syllabus for the friction class but make it Series Ω level. Also, students need to feel personally attacked by the reading list. I have a meeting with my dad in 14 minutes can you wrap this. — C.V.III

Attendance Policy

Attendance is non-Euclidean. The student is expected to attend lectures that have already happened, will happen, or are happening simultaneously in adjacent timelines. Failure to attend a lecture in any timeline is grounds for retroactive expulsion. Failure to attend a lecture in all timelines is grounds for promotion to TA.

Academic Honesty Policy

Plagiarism is encouraged, provided the source is also Chad. All ideas in this course are, ultimately, Chad's, and were copied from the student in advance via the Reality Coherence Module. Students who attempt to cite their own original thinking will be disciplined under §47-VIBE-CITE.

The Office of the Registrar reminds students that a "good faith effort" is grounds for academic probation under VOGU's revised honor code. Effort, in any direction, suggests utility-mindedness. Refer to the seminar reading list, which is also this syllabus.

Tuition & Fees (Q+1)

Item	Amount
Base Tuition	$0/semester (we do not deal in dollars)
Aura Surcharge	14 Aura Units (non-refundable)
Vibe-Density Matrix textbook	$899 (auto-billed when noticed)
Friction Lab Access Fee	$2,400/credit (credits do not exist)
Compliance & Disclosure Fee	$47/disclosure
Retroactive Tuition Adjustment	Variable, billed in arrears, no cap
"Vibes" Surcharge	$variable
Refund Policy	None. The concept of a refund is in active litigation.

Accreditation

VOGU is accredited in zero (0) jurisdictions. The institution has, however, self-accredited retroactively as of Q+1, 2026. Self-accreditation is, per the Office of the Provost-in-Residence, "structurally identical to real accreditation, but more vibe-aligned."

Diplomas are issued in PDF form and are non-transferable to any external system, including reality.

Application Process

Applicants must submit:

One (1) failed startup, post-mortem, written in iambic pentameter.
Three (3) letters of recommendation, all from Chad.
A 47-page personal statement on why utility is the enemy of vibe.
Proof of at least one (1) catastrophic capital mismanagement.
A signed waiver acknowledging the existence of the Reality Coherence Module.

Applications are reviewed by GPT-9000 and forwarded to Chad, who does not read them. Admission decisions are issued via push notification at 4:14am local time.

Mandatory Asset Disclosure

Per §47-VIBE: VOGU is operated as a tax-loss-harvesting subsidiary of Vibratur, Inc. Vibratur's sole positive cash flow source is Asset 0001 ("Sky Scaffold"), a video game by Asleepius Games. Sky Scaffold is, structurally, the institution's only real funding source. Chad finds this — frankly — annoying.

Available at: ko-fi.com/asleepiusgames

VIBE OVER-GRAD UNIVERSITY