Summation: Auren Hoffman presents a convincing argument that we are all the sum of our interactions with the people we surround ourselves with which, in turn, influences many of the major decisions we make in our day-to-day lives. These influences also run to things like shopping choices, self-image and happiness, which should come as no great surprise. We form our own personal tribes and shape our image in light of those around us, reinforcing and strengthening ties through mimicry and by filtering out those things that don't speak to us. In his blog post, You Think For Yourself but You Act Like Your Friends [homophily], Hoffman highlights the concept of homophily, which is "the tendency to associate with people similar to you and the people you associate with tend to act like you over time (and vice-versa)." We can see examples of this behavior in our daily exchanges with those around us, such as the practice of "mirroring." Knowledge is power and the takeaway from this piece is: "The best way to deal with homophily is to understand how you are impacted by it and to hack your life and make adjustments accordingly.  To inoculate yourself politically, for instance, start considering the "other side" of the political isle.  If you are in San Francisco (84% Democratic), you might want to read the Wall Street Journal editorials every day.  Similarly, if you are in the back countries of Alabama (70% Republican) you should read the editorials of the New York Times every day.  Don’t let yourself be blindly led by those you know." You can do the same thing with your mood, shopping choices and food consumption now that you know the secret!

BBC News: People in the United Kingdom who don't even know what peer-to-peer software is or who haven't ever played a video game are getting notices in the mail suggesting that they pay a fee for illegal downloads of copyrighted software or face legal action from the company that owns the program in question. Such is the case of Gill and Ken Murdoch: "In the case of the Murdochs, a letter was sent giving them the chance to pay £500 compensation or face a court case. Gill Murdoch and her husband, aged 54 and 66 respectively, told Which: 'We do not have, and have never had, any computer game or sharing software. We did not even know what 'peer to peer' was until we received the letter.' The case has now been dropped by Atari, although the firm is yet to comment on the reasons why." There are at least 70 other confirmed cases of mistaken piracy claims, based on the physical address of a given Internet Protocol (IP) number, with possibly hundreds more unreported instances. That's just not fair cricket, sending Grandma and Grandpa a mean-spirited and threatening letter demanding payment or else, who might be confused and act out of fear of legal action by paying a fine they don't deserve. Get a grip, Atari, and research things a bit better before letting loose the dogs of war!

Xconomy - San Diego: How's this for a catchy article title? Grim San Diego Panel Urges Venture Community and Entrepreneurs to Get Realistic. Does that get your attention? moderator Carl Eibl, a managing director at San Diego’s Enterprise Partners Venture Capital, lets the first grenade fly: "'You cannot tolerate people who are not producing. You have got to rank your employees and do what’s necessary.' At the same time, Eibl observed that layoffs taking place throughout the economy provide an opportunity to recruit extraordinarily talented people." So there is some light at the end of the dark, and long tunnel, it would seem. Other experts from the world of startups and venture capital weighed in with their thoughts on how things will look in the coming months and years with the overall mood being sombre and realistic. Cuts, shrinkage, and belt-tightening are the order of the day.

Wired.com: One way to help cut down on costs is to allow your workers to do their thing at home, as opposed to having all the overhead and infrastructure necessary to house them all in an old-fashioned cube farm. Brendan I. Koerner takes a long, hard look at the many benefits telecommuting can provide for businesses of almost any size in his recent piece, Home Sweet Office: Telecommute Good for Business, Employees, and Planet. Koerner writes, "That might sound a bit radical to those who swear by the office's supposed benefits, like camaraderie and face-to-face collaboration. But time and again, studies have shown that telecommuters are every bit as engaged as their cubicle-bound brethren — and happier and more productive to boot. Last year, researchers from Penn State analyzed 46 studies of telecommuting conducted over two decades and covering almost 13,000 employees. Their sweeping inquiry concluded that working from home has "favorable effects on perceived autonomy, work-family conflict, job satisfaction, performance, turnover intent, and stress." The only demonstrable drawback is a slight fraying of the relationships between telecommuters and their colleagues back at headquarters — largely because of jealousy on the part of the latter group. That's the first problem you solve when you kill your office." Go ahead. Make the move to telecommuting and never look back. Your employees, and your bottom line, will thank you in the profitable years to come!

BusinessWeek.com: GM looks to join the ranks of failed American automobile manufacturers in the near future, but there are hopes that its new electric/gasoline hybrid car, the Volt, can help rescue the once proud company from the dustbin of ignominy. Author Matt Vella visits General Motors' design director Bob Boniface and details a proud walk-through of the car's sleek exterior, high mileage and 21st Century interior. "[T]he Volt is essentially a plug-in electric car with an onboard gas-burning engine that can recharge the vehicle's batteries. This enables the Volt to travel some 40 miles before the driver turns on the gas. Because most daily commuters in the U.S. don't travel that far, GM says many drivers will not have to use any fuel at all, simply recharging the vehicle via a regular outlet at home overnight. GM is still wrangling with the Environmental Protection Agency over the vehicle's efficiency, but executives say the final number should be north of 100 mpg for both types of power." GM has high hopes that a return to the fuel-efficient cars that were popular before the advent of the SUV and Hummer-sized megatrucks will help it gain market share and a return to profitability. Read Can the Chevy Volt Save GM? for more on the great, electric future of GM.