So you have noticed how cool Spotify is? You want to try it too but can’t because it is not available in your country? Well now you can get access from anywhere in the world. Just follow this step-by-step guide to create a Spotify account without needing an invite and start listening to the worlds largest music database. Instantly. For free.

Because Spotify is currently only available in certain European countries, you need to make your computer appear as it is in one of these countries (called virtual private networking (VPN) or using a proxy). After the account has been registered you can turn your computer appear as back to normal.  So this is what I will guide you through; we will make your computer appear as in the UK, get you registered, download your version of Spotify, and get you listening to music!

The steps take take about 10 minutes and are as follows:

1. Click this link
2. A page with a form field appears (if you only see an ad click skip ad in the top right corner).
3. Enter https://www.spotify.com/en/get-started/ in the field and click Go
4. Spotify’s user registration page will appear
   
5. Enter your account details. The following fields are required:
   • Username
   • Password
   • Confirm password
   • Email
   • Country: Select United Kingdom (It should be the only choice. If you see another country in the list then you don’t need to follow this guide)
   • Postal code: Any UK postal code will work. Use BT48 0PW if you don’t know any UK postcodes.
   • Gender
   • Date of birth
   • Letters. Enter the letters in the image above.
   • Check “I agree with the Spotify end user agreement”
6. Click Create account and proceed
7. If you have done everything right you should see a page saying that your account has been created. A new page with the download link will then appear. Don’t download from that page!
8. Download Spotify using this link
9. Install Spotify
10. Log in with the username and password you created above.
    

Thats it!

You should now be able to access and use one of the largest music databases in the world. Instant music for free

Enjoy!

I took my Adwords exam some months back but due to a hickup in the Google certification system I didn’t receive my logo until today. But here it is: You can also see the full certification on the Google Qualified profile page.

Microsoft Outlook 2010 is in beta stage and Microsoft is asking for your feedback. Here is a chance to have your say and tell Microsoft that they are making a big mistake that will set email design back 5 years. So far 6,000 tweets has shown its support for the cause.

Microsoft recently posted some details on its Outlook MSDN blog about the upcoming Outlook 2010, part of the new Office 2010 software package. In the blog it says:

Outlook 2010 represents the latest in our work to creating a powerful and intuitive e-mail client, providing you with a rich set of e-mail management tools to manage your personal and professional life while staying in touch with the people that matter most. New innovations in user interface, search, and people photos are just some of the bold, exciting experiences that await Outlook 2010 users. In this next wave, Outlook will make accessing your e-mail and connecting with people wherever you are – on whatever device you choose – seamless and easier than ever before.

This sounds great, although it doesn’t say much in details. But when looking more closely at the features of the new Outlook it turns out that they are re-introducing Word as the rendering engine to display HTML emails. This, for those who remember, is what Outlook 97 used to do and with all the problems that came with it.

For anyone who is involved in designing and sending out email newsletters, this is a big setback.  Word has no support for CSS like float and position and background images and much more.

What does this mean? Well, you can see the difference in how an email with CSS is shown in Outlook 2000 and then how the same email will look in Outlook 2010 below:

So if you want to make your voice heard and stop this madness, head over to a site called Outlook’s broken – lets fix it and follow the instruction. Or simply tweet a message to your following and include http://fixoutlook.org somewhere in your tweet.