Having never orked a cow, I couldn't really tell you.

WHOOOOAAA ! So, like, they finally get to work at home, then they LEAVE HOME AND GATHER TOGETHER ANYWAY !?

Whoa.

*shakes head, walks away*

I work at one of these places. I only really use it as a workspace as I don't have a direct interest in the theme of it ("social innovation"), but the community aspect is attractive and it seems to work really well for the people who do need to network.

I worked from home/coffeshops for about a year, and strongly considered joining a group near my neighborhood.

I would have shared your sentiment, shane, if I hadn't had that experience. What I found is that (at least for me), working from home 100% of the time is one extreme, and working in the office 100% of the time is another, and both can be oppressive in their own ways. There are lots of shades in between, and it's really having the freedom to find the balance that works best for you that's important.

And there's a big difference between getting together which a bunch of people who are working, but who ARE NOT COWORKERS. It's kinda like sitting around in a library, studying.

Sounds to me more like what some people I know do as comics professionals: band up under a studio name, find a big space for them to draw in, put some tunes on, work on their individual pieces and get constant feedback from other working artists who are also your friends the entire day.

Wait a minute.. are people PAYING to use these places where they then work for someone else?

Sounds like an exciting new way to make a buck by providing a brainscape for self-directed creatives to leverage their synergies.

I guess it makes sense now. Lots more fun when it's art or comics folks, though. That's hard work, but it ain't work as a four letter word, for me anyway.
:-)