We have a bunch of interesting, smart people at TableXI with a wide range of interests. We took some time in Costa Rica to learn from each other’s expertise through some informal discussions.

Like the pet projects, discussion topics were solicited ahead of time.  We had three sessions, each with two discussions running simultaneously so that people had to choose which talks to participate in.

Discussions were not limited to TXIers; significant-others joined in on the fun so that we’d have more perspective from the non-nerd contingent.  Alcohol was provided to make the conversation more interesting.

Topics included:

Cooking for Neanderthals
With so many cooks running around TableXI, the question was asked “how does a man who has never cooked before start?”

Digital or Paper – The Future of Books
Samantha, with her background in publishing, led a discussion about the future of publishing and whether pulp will still have a place in 10 years.

Something you do differently from the masses, and you’re pretty sure everyone else is doing it wrong
I started the conversation talking about why I run in funny-looking shoes. We moved onto topics like why Josh is renting instead of buying, why Ellen hasn’t fled to the suburbs with her children, and why these 7,064 people have no idea what they’re talking about:

In addition to lying by the pool, swimming in the ocean and swinging from trees, we actually managed to get some very productive work done. Costa Rica allowed us the opportunity to have discussions that simply would not have been possible during a typical work week.  Tuesday and Thursday were fully dedicated to Table XI business, with our work day going from 9am to 10pm.

One of the activities we engaged in was the rapid development of our own “pet projects”. Prior to heading to Costa Rica we solicited ideas from everyone at Table XI and ended up with a list of over 25 possible projects to choose from.  Ideas ranged from content based websites to iPhone games to ways to use technology to modernize the public education system.

Three teams were created by grouping TXIers that normally don’t work together.  Each of the teams selected a project to rapidly prototype and evaluate for commercial viability.   Ideas were brainstormed, wireframes were created and code was written.  After two days, groups presented their projects to the rest of Table XI for feedback.

Overall it was a great exercise in team building and rapidly vetting, brainstorming and developing ideas. In fact, a couple of the ideas were intriguing enough to receive some post-costa-rican attention.  We won’t say too much about them other than yes, that is a keyboard cat in Jordan’s presentation.

Jordan presenting on his group's project.

On his previous visit to Costa Rica, Josh drove two hours before realizing he and his fiance had left their passports in the safe back at their hotel.

When Ellen was 20 she read The Joy of Cooking cover to cover.

Erik is the only TXIer with anything close to a useful grasp on the Spanish language. A bunch of us know how to say “hola”, “gracias”, and “arroz con pollo”.

Samantha can name all the books of the Old Testament in order.

If you tie a bunch of $60 video cards together, you can build a processor as fast as a supercomputer. -Byron

There are over 20 state parks within driving distance of Lucas’ home in Victoria, B.C.

“Mr. Bean” in Spanish is “El Senor Frijole”.  -Daniel

Matt once programmed Blackjack on his TI-82 calculator while sitting in church.

John Gore likes pina colodas, and it hasn’t rained in Playa Grande since November.

And…. we’re back.

We had a great trip to Costa Rica on all fronts.  Tropical weather, beautiful accommodations, productive discussions, exciting excursions, and delicious meals.  We’ve got a bunch of stories and pictures to share… too much for a single summary post.

In the meantime, meet Bert, the new Table XI mascot.

Sadly, we did not see any leatherback turtles, but we found someone even more appropriate.  Bert is green, eight years old and likes to goof off, eat lunch and play with computers.  Fits Table XI perfectly.

I have tried for two weeks to write this post but couldn’t figure out how to do so without gloating.  It’s hard enough to humbly write about the daily meals we have cooked in-house… but when your boss flies the entire company to Costa Rica for a week, how do you say that without sounding smug?

I decided the best way is to pretend I am objective news reporter.  So this is me, as unemotionally as possible, reporting the facts:

On Saturday February 27, the 13 members of the Table XI team and five of their significant-others will fly to Costa Rica. The hope is that a reprieve from the Chicago winter and a week of rejuvenation, strategic planning, team building and corporate reflection will make Table XI more successful as an organization and better able to serve our clients.

We will be staying near Playa Grande and the town of Tamarindo.

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