Today I am mainly working on the first tutor-marked assignment for the Open University module I am studying (M811: Information Security). I think I’ve got a fairly good grasp of what is required and the deadline isn’t until next Thursday but I am definitely at the point where I need to put in some hard slog. If I can complete the first draft by the end of today I should then I should have enough time to tighten the bolts and apply polish to my satisfaction before submitting it. However, that isn’t going to be an easy task and I’ve set quite a high standard in the past to aspire to (I got my Digital Forensics result back recently – another merit although the coursework helped buoy up a slightly lower result from the written exam).

As a freshly minted PG Cert Computing (Open), I know I need to knuckle down but I’m enjoying some music while I’m working; currently a couple of Duke Ellington albums. The title of this post is the opener on The Intimate Ellington, a collection of recordings from 1969-1971 that was released posthumously in 1977. What caught my ear about this fairly quirky recording (Ellington intoning verse above mellow vibes) was the tone of voice. It took a little while but I realised that it sounded a lot like Conservative politician William Hague (or at least like impressionist John Culshaw’s take on Hague’s tendency to draw out his vowels).

It probably isn’t Ellington’s finest work but it made me smile. Right, back to seeing if I can produce some of my finest work for the next assignment.