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Essentially the trick is to use a stab-blender for 20 seconds to aerate the wine very quickly. It's definitely something I'll run a double-blind test on over Christmas!

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Before the negotiation

Firstly, try and build information profile about your counter-party. You are interested in working out what their utility function (or value profile) is. You want to try and determine their "walk-away" number - the price at which they will walk away from the negotiation. You want to try and work out what alternatives they have to an agreement. What pressures do they have to getting an agreement?

Also, determine what your walk-away price is. What is the point at which you will walk away from the agreement? Try and come up with alternatives, this will help take the pressure off you during the negotiation. Work out what your utility profile is - what are your priorities? What points won't you compromise on?

During the negotiation

Firstly, you should set the initial price. This will help determine the expectation range that your counter-party has. The only time when you should allow the counter-party to determine the initial price is if they have a lot more information about what the item/service is worth than you do.

With your initial price, you take your estimation of the negotiating counter-party's walk-away price and offer slightly lower. Don't go too low. You want the counter-party to take your initial offer seriously.

Also, try and establish rapport before you begin the negotiation. You can reveal unimportant information about yourself to help the flow of information. Ask questions - try and determine what is important to them. Are there any pressures on them to get the deal done? Are there any time pressures involved? Do other people have any expectations on the results of the negotiations?

Sometimes some small things may give you an edge. Having the appearance of authority may help you during the negotiation. Helping to boost the attractiveness to the counter-party by making the object of the negotiation appear scarce. "Only one left, so you should get it now". Social proof - all these other people have also bought this item and been completely satisfied.

It's important during the negotiation to try and seek mutual benefit.

If someone is over-aggressive or too emotional during the negotiation, take a time-out. Don't mirror negativity. If the counter-party starts with with an insultingly low offer try a technique called "Re-Anchoring". The Re-anchoring technique involves making a counter-proposal, and then repeating it numerous times. You are trying to "anchor" your counter-proposal in their mind.

If you get stuck in a negotiation, try adding in embedded options. For example; if [some situation] happens, then you must do [this other thing].

Closing the negotiation

Create a solution "package". This is a complete solution - listing all the negotiating points and your proposal. Don't try and negotiate each point separately, seek agreement for a "package" of solutions.

Potentially try embedding options into the solution.

Also, once you have an agreement, think about shelving the agreement temporarily to try and "re-factor" it, i.e. to try get a better agreement. You can always come back to your original agreement if no better solution can be found.

Take your time during the negotiation.

Practice!

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Firstly, the wristband is pretty awesome. Mine is black and is made out of a rubbery plastic that feels really comfortable. The wristband itself is supposed to be water resistant so you can wear it in the shower. At one end of the wristband is a metal cap which, when removed, reveals a mini-jack plug for plugging the band into your iPhone. The other end is a button, that switches the band into measuring different types of activities - exercise, walking and sleeping.

To get your activity data with your iPhone, you need to plug it into the audio socket of the phone and press the button to sync. So far this hasn't been too onerous, but I can imagine it being a little bit of a pain eventually. The iPhone app allows you to track your time spent exercising, your movements and sleep patterns. You can get it to vibrate if you have been inactive for too long, or to wake you up in the morning.

Overall, I'm really excited about this technology. It's had a bit of a negative review here, but I think the Jawbone UP is going to be great to play with!

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London is represented very well, with 5 of the top 10 bars. 12 of the top 50 bars are based over here. For comparison, 8 of the top 50 are based in New York, and 3 of the top 50 are based in Paris. 69 Colebrooke Row came 7th, which is about 2 blocks from our flat.

Top 50 Bars in the World, 2011

1. PDT, New York

2. Connaught, London

3. Artesian, London

4. Death & Co, New York

5. Milk & Honey, London

6. American Bar at the Savoy, London

7. 69 Colebrooke Row, London

8. Drink, Boston US

9. Harry's New York Bar, Paris

10. Black Pearl, Melbourne, Australia

11. Pegu Club, New York

12. Dry Martini Bar, Barcelona

13. Eau De Vie, Sydney

14. Bramble, Edinburgh

15. Employees Only, New York

16. La Capilla Bar, Mexico

17. Merchant Hotel, Belfast

18. Nightjar, London

19. Smuggler's Cove, San Francisco

20. Buddha Bar, Paris

21. Skyview Bar, Dubai

22. The Varnish, Los Angeles

23. Tippling Club, Singapore

24. Milk & Honey, New York

25. 878 Bar, Buenos Aires

26. Der Raum, Melbourne

27. Callooh Callay, London

28. Clover Club, New York

29. Door74, Amsterdam

30. Tommy's, San Francisco

31. Floridita, Havana

32. City Space, Moscow

33. Matterhorn, Wellington, NZ

34. High Five Bar, Tokyo

35. Le Lion, Hamburg

36. LAB, London

37. Boadas, Barcelona

38. Dutch Kills, New York

39. Worship St Whistling Shop, London

40. BarAgricole, San Francisco

41. Papa Doble, Montpellier

42. Quo Vadis, London

43. Lounge Bohemia, London

44. Mayahuel, New York

45. Mutis, Barcelona

46. Ruby, Copenhagen

47. Rules, London

48. Hemingway Bar, Paris

49. Zuma, Dubai

50. Star Bar, Tokyo

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What's interesting is that since 2001 the figure has been falling - we have been consuming less stuff as a nation, despite an increasing population size. According to environment writer Chris Goodall; "In 2007, just before the crash, our total use of materials was almost the same as it was in 1989, despite the economy having tripled in size in the intervening years. And the peak in resource use appears to have been in 2001 – many years before the recession halted economic growth". I guess that this is a direct reflection of the increases in efficiency due to new technology. In 2002 the use of energy, heat and power, started to decline. In 2003, the amount of household waste produced as a nation started to fall.

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I figure we have two main strategies:

1. Buy a tiny place in a great area. Live like cockroaches for a few years and pay it down. Rent out the place to short-term let people at an exorbitant price.
2. Buy a larger place in a suburb further out from zone one. Live a slightly less urban life for a few years. Rent out the place to longer-term tenants.

Needless to say, my money's on option 1! I figure we can grab a shoebox in a great area - I'd love to say Soho or Covent Garden, but even the shoeboxes in those locations tend to run to a minimum of £400k. OK, so we're looking at a smallish pad in Angel or Regents Park... the thing is; in London if you live in an OK 'burb in Zone 1, you can spend most of your time out of the flat because there's plenty to do in the local area. We rent a separate office for the company, so we have somewhere to go and sit and work during the day. I definitely want to practice the Hi-Tech Nomad lifestyle, which is out-and-about rather than stuck in suburbia.

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