This image was lost some time after publication.

You know those people who, during an uncomfortable moment, say "Awk-warrrrd..."? And that makes the moment so much worse? Well, CNN Money is that guy, and Intel's Apple deal is that uncomfortable moment.

CNN's headline "Apple ads make things awkward for Intel" refers to a commercial introducing Intel-based Macs. (It's on TV, but you can watch it on YouTube.) The ad presents Apple's new Macs as saviors of Intel's chips, which have been trapped in "dull little boxes." Some of us call these boxes "most of Intel's client base."

Intel's acting all supportive, with its spokesperson saying, "We're pleased Apple featured Intel in the ad." Seems pretty obvious that Apple would feature the product it was selling. This is like George Lucas saying "I'm pleased I got into the credits for Star Wars."

"We think it's a cool ad," says Intel. Sounds like "I, uh, fell down some stairs." Intel must be gritting its teeth. Why go through all this abuse?

By taking this humiliation, Intel pissed off its biggest dull-little-box-making client. Dell is switching its laptops to AMD chips. Podcaster Leo Laporte thinks Dell's making a dumb move, tech-wise, and that it's more of a "screw you" from Dell to Intel.

Intel didn't know about the Apple ad before it debuted, but Intel CEO Paul Otellini agreed to wear a cleanroom bunny suit when he met Steve Jobs onstage at MacWorld. Oh, Intel, you poor thing. You can't get help until you admit there's a problem.

This image was lost some time after publication, but you can still view it here.

UPDATE: Hey there, Digg users! There's more Apple commentary under the Steve Jobs tag, which has its own RSS feed. And you can check out the front page. Hell, we even have a tag for Digg founder Kevin Rose (and a feed). Finally, you can enter the Flip Trifecta and predict whether Digg will sell to Yahoo before Odeo does.

Apple ads make things awkward for Intel [CNN Money]
This Week in Tech: No Comments [Leo Laporte]
How to recognize and tackle abuse [Help the Aged]