As a columnist who tests a lot of technology, I often write about my own experiences. But what happened last week was downright surreal.

It started on Thursday, when I began reporting a column about drones and the altercations they are causing among neighbors. The way these spats usually go, one neighbor gets a new drone (often around Christmas) and begins flying it around the backyard. Then, naturally, the drone flies over to the neighbor’s yard. Then, the neighbor gets upset, especially because most recreational drones these days are equipped with cameras.

Some voice their outrage through social media. “My neighbor just flew a drone to my window and was recording me,” a Twitter user wrote this month. “I have never talked to him in my life.”

Others use their fists, or worse.

In 2014, a 32-year-old man was arrested after the police said he shot down his neighbor’s drone in Lower Township, N.J., when it flew over his yard. He was indicted on felony charges and could face 10 years in prison.