It is a useful technique for me. It also reminds me of the "Feynman technique," which posits to learn, one should pretend to explain an idea to a layman.
Ask HN: Have You Seen Rubber Duck Debugging at Work? Awkward or Acceptable?
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Re: Ask HN: Have You Seen Rubber Duck Debugging at Work? Awkward or Acceptable?
#2I thinks its taking place a bit everywhere, and often without noticing.
For example, How many time you call a coworker to help you out on a struggle, and just by explaining to him the process, you are finding out the problem. Your coworker was a rubber duck for few minutes.
To answer to your questions, I had never personally seen a guy talking to a rubber duck(or any other object), but I have seen, many times, successful debugging just by explaining aloud the process without any input from the listener.