I don't disagree that there is a lot of inefficiency and counterproductivity in a conventional office - but the gp was offering up an example of how his hack se

I don't disagree that there is a lot of inefficiency and counterproductivity in a conventional office - but the gp was offering up an example of how his hack session with his roommate proved something about how we "should" be working. Like many complicated systems, it's easy to criticize the conventional office and offer microcosm-scale anecdotal counter-examples - but quite another thing to create something effectively comparable. I love thinking about new ways to work. I work remotely and am always experimenting with ways to be effective from a distance... but I find that getting people's butts in chairs in the same office, and coordinating with a few boring meetings is surprisingly necessary.