[poulson]

I had a somewhat similar experience the day shellshock was announced on a layover in Atlanta flying between two different universities. I had been browsing the news and coding for maybe an hour after dinner at the battery-charging station in my completely empty terminal, and three clean-cut men in their late thirties sat down on all sides of me and started joking about how I was in trouble.

Long story short, after a few minutes of awkward chit chat where they repeatedly try to determine whether I "believed in absolutes", they let me know that, yes, they were "professional interrogators". They then all immediately got up and left for what they claimed was their flight to Minneapolis.

[carlhancock]

Sounds like they were professional bull shitters. A professional isn't going to say that to you.

[poulson]

I have no idea who those three people were. I do agree that "unprofessional" is a good way to describe their behavior. I emailed a few colleagues about it but it was all too strange to speak publicly about. There was also a bit of a religious vibe to their questions, so there is a (small) chance that they were evangelicals claiming to be interrogators.

[spacefight]

First they interrogate you, then they mess with you, then they recruit you.