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  "Anything mechanical, give it a good bash." With these immortal words, Commander Colin Maud, in the classic WW2 movie The Longest Day, smacked a stalled tank with his cane, ushering in an unexpected restart that would allow the downed vehicle to putter away and resume its role in the D-Day invasion. I thought of Commander Maud when I heard Microsoft's cure for the catastrophic crash scenario that is, as I write this column, affecting Windows systems worldwide, grounding airline flights and shutting down retail, banking, and hospital systems.

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  I have put in my time as the news writer for this magazine at various moments over the last 11 years, and one way or another, the European Commission has always been part of the big stories. I don’t even live in Europe, but I’ve penned many stories on the European Commission rulings on privacy, patent reform, and antitrust issues. The European Commission is very interested in high-tech policy; the official website lists topics for “Cybersecurity and Digital Privacy,” “Online Trust,” and “Content and Media” in the highest level of its directory.

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  Sometimes the data points in the news come in pairs, or at least they converge into pairs when you stop to think about them. I noticed a story this month on the many layoffs in the tech industry.

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  It is well known that many of our most excruciating arguments about religion and philosophy are secretly arguments about definitions. With that said, I will add, it is quite a novel thing when the definition is in the foreground and everyone knows that is what they are arguing about.

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  One news item that crossed the wires this month was the company known as Aereo closing its Boston office and laying off more staff. The move follows a supreme court ruling in June that left them without a viable means for gaining revenue. Although Aereo still seems to be afloat in some capacity, its prospects are few, and the new investment money necessary for a restart doesn't seem to be on the horizon.

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