and i thought that humor is verboten around here... Does HN have an exception in the book that applies to Intel ?

I don't think humour as such is frowned upon on HN - if I was to attempt to write down the unwritten, I would say that posts that are just jokes tend to go down badly, but jokes that make a point or serious posts that are written with some wit are generally accepted.

The guidelines do not mention humor as such. It is often frowned upon, but I think the delicious irony in this case warrants an exception. ;-)