What do you think about daily standups?

I think in most cases there is no need for them. If the team is small and the collaboration is good then there is no need for them. If the team is too big or the collaboration does not work this meeting does not solve anything. So most people are just doing them because they need to be done, but almost no-one pays real attention.

I prefer an automated check-in via email or Slack or Basecamp or any software where I or the team can write what we want to work on and thus everybody can read it when they feel like.

Of course there are few teams that can use them properly but in my experience these teams anyhow get the same benefit without this special meeting. Working teams have their way to find out what is happening daily without a structure being imposed.

If the team works well together then any meeting will be a good meeting. If not, then the only meeting happening should be about how to solve team collaboration.

A better alternative for in-office will be to facilitate to a team to have morning coffee/tea or breakfast together.

The less formal, the best. Because that's exactly what the intent behind it is: the equivalent of a team's gathering about a cup of coffee/tea/water/anything to discuss/chat about the mood of everyone, and the quick status of their work.

Alas... in most of the companies I met, it's become a rigidified strictly business ritual.