An association professional was recently featured on a popular public radio program, and the reason why is, well, unexpected.

Andy Freed, CEO of the association management company Virtual, Inc., was highlighted on American Public Media’s Marketplace program for his long, highly produced out-of-office messages, which he has created in video form since 2012. The clips, which can be viewed on his website, are often riffs on popular movies. The most recent one was a 27-minute-long parody of Game of Thrones, called “Vacation Is Coming.” Really.

Explaining why he takes such an elaborate approach to something so traditionally banal, Freed said he started doing offbeat messages about 15 years ago and tries to top himself every year.

“Life is boring enough, and it’s fun to just have some fun in places you might not be expecting to,” Freed told the radio show.

MacBook Flight Woes

Comment: MacBook Pro airline bans getting out of hand, but Apple can solve it https://t.co/6UGHrQ2aeG by @benlovejoy pic.twitter.com/8Nv7eZQwWs

— 9to5Mac (@9to5mac) August 29, 2019

If you own a MacBook Pro and are heading to Australia anytime soon, you definitely want to read this.

As 9to5Mac notes, two Australian airlines have taken steps to regulate MacBook Pros in planes in response to a recent product recall. Virgin Australia is requiring passengers to travel with the laptops in carry-on luggage, while Qantas (which mostly provides long-haul service) requires that all MacBook Pros, not just the recalled ones, must be turned off during flight.

While no U.S. airlines have announced such requirements yet, it’s worth keeping an eye on if you’re a Mac user, as travel regulations in one part of the world tend to spread elsewhere.

For more on this subject, check out our recent piece about how device recalls can really throw a monkey wrench into travel.

Other Links of Note

Travel-size toiletries are moving out of hotel rooms. Marriott, the world’s largest hotel chain, just announced a plan to switch to larger, reusable bottles.

Remote work provides a lot of freedom, but it comes with some big drawbacks. Fast Company lays them out.

You may have a chief marketing officer, but might you be better off with a “customer value officer”? On CustomerThink, Vince Jeffs makes the case for a change.

(via Vimeo)