>No intention of leaving. I need my water cooler! I remember when I first went independent in 1990 that there were two things I missed from the Corporate world (I worked at DEC). First I missed the benefits, I had failed to realize what they actually cost. Second I missed the comradery and socialization at the office. I started making a couple of trips a day to the local supermarket just to chat with the check out girls.

First I misread this as "...to chat and to check out (the) girls"... and maybe I wasn't too wrong, eh?

Likewise, after ten years of telecommuting, I sometimes do feel the urge to just go out and have a beer in front of a supermarket. Too bad the one down the street doesn't look like it's tolerating the institution.

True, every telecommuting team has some ways to communicate, and Skype has helped that a lot, but it's not the same as the full 3D physical presence. OTOH, the good side of it is that you don't know whether anyone's personal habits would annoy you if they sat next to you :). And I can smoke on the job :).

Telecommunists of Earth, unite at home.