There I was, climbing out of my nothing special commuter car in the parking lot of my workplace. I was minding my own business, collecting my work day paraphernalia; backpack, coffee, lunch, etc. when a sound in the distance gave me pause. I’d heard that familiar sound before at parades and outdoor festivities. A long past memory of my Dad’s remote-controlled airplanes (think strings, not radios) surfaced. But this…this sound was more petulant. Insistent.

Could this be an act of corporate espionage?

And then I saw it. A quad-copter drone advancing on my position. Maybe 100 ft. in altitude. I was at first curious and wondered what a drone was doing flying about in the middle of Lowell, MA where my company is headquartered. Then, with menacing precision, it stopped directly above me. Time stood still as it hung in space. My mind immediately flooded with questions; Who’s navigating this thing? Why is it hovering directly over me? How many pictures of me and my surroundings are being streamed live onto the internet? Could this be an act corporate espionage? Where is my LASER pointer? Seriously, this thought actually came to my mind.

Then it flew off. Unceremoniously. Back to it’s “drone lord”.

This sat with me throughout the day. It was slightly more unsettling than learning someone had stolen my credit card and charged a hotel room in Iowa under my name. And it will happen to you too…someday.

I’ve been droned