Hacker News Reader

I mean this in the nicest possible way ... Are you sure they want to talk to you ... frequently?

I've worked this way for several years, in a few different teams.

I guess it sounds weird if you've never done it, but it works really well.

Now and then, someone will ask "Hey, does anyone know X?" or something else, and issues will be resolved quickly. One counter intuitive thing that makes this possible is that since you're already engaged in a conversation with your pair, this turns out to not be disruptive.

i think that type of conversation is better suited for a Slack chat

To me, that suggests pairing would prevent me from ever starting to deeply concentrate on a problem.

Unless you are also switching pairs frequently, then this is not paired programming.

That is what chat is for. Bonus, it works whether you and I are breathing the same oxygen, or if we are on different continents.