I agree with this - whenever I see that a company has actual pairing stations (computers with mirrored monitors and two keyboards and two chairs) I tend to shy

I agree with this - whenever I see that a company has actual pairing stations (computers with mirrored monitors and two keyboards and two chairs) I tend to shy away. However, I still think everyone should have their OWN whiteboard, to enable precisely the conversations you mention. Easy enough if you have cube walls, but I've never seen a good whiteboard story in newfangled open-plan startup offices.