package shared-mime-info 0.71-1ubuntu2 failed to install/upgrade: subprocess installed post-installation script returned error exit status 134

Binary package hint: shared-mime-info

this was a routine patching session after 17 days of inactivity. Firefox was running at the time, and log suggests there may have been an issue with that. As this was all running in the background I wasn't paying much attention to it.
Ver: 10.04
Package was whatever had been downloaded for patching
Expected: another flawless patch
What happened: graceful error with reporting

ProblemType: Package
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 10.04
Package: shared-mime-info 0.71-1ubuntu2
ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 2.6.32-28.55-generic 2.6.32.27+drm33.12
Uname: Linux 2.6.32-28-generic i686
Architecture: i386
Date: Sat Mar 12 21:09:17 2011
ErrorMessage: subprocess installed post-installation script returned error exit status 134
InstallationMedia: Ubuntu 10.04 LTS "Lucid Lynx" - Release i386 (20100429)
SourcePackage: shared-mime-info
Title: package shared-mime-info 0.71-1ubuntu2 failed to install/upgrade: subprocess installed post-installation script returned error exit status 134