Remember this post? Look at those wussies. Partial shade. Misters. That's nothing.

As Bryan noted in his post, people finally caught on to the AT&T angle, and the line grew quickly. No, it wasn't an all-night affair at most places, but in Phoenix, it doesn't matter: the light from the daystar can kill.

So here's the deal: a high tempearture of 111 degrees, possibly even 113. A building with completely vertical walls and no shade. And linegoers that joined in line beginning at 9 AM, waiting all day until 6 PM. That, ladies and gentlemen, is hard core. Some of the personalities, after the jump.

In fact, we chose to put one of these guys, Mike Fite, up on the main page. Gaze upon that face. Yeah, that's a man who probably looks slightly deranged even on the best of days, with perhaps the scariest beard I've ever seen. After I talked to him, he tore out of the parking lot in a beat-up VW Bug that probably was worth less than the change in my pocket. And you know what? That's the face of the tech industry right there.

Mike talked about taking pictures, and showing them to clients on what he called "a kick-ass screen". (And it is.) Mike owns an iPod, a PowerMac G4. He's your standard crazy Mac guy. Right on.

Here's where it gets a little crazy, though. The high? 113. Mike was there from 10 AM on, according to his own estimate. Finally, one of the guys in line asked his wife to bring down a 10x10 awning. Believe me, it didn't shelter all of the 60 to 80 people that were there. And as a Phoenix resident, I can tell you that just walking across the parking lot with the slight desert breeze feels like a jet's exhaust.

Yeah, I know there was a bit of shade by the time I got there. But believe me, that sun was just barely behind the corner of that building. It wasn't there long.

The other people that caught my eye? The Goldbergs: Jacob, Jeremy*, and Roz. another Mac family, only this time, the kids "converted" Roz, she said. All three bought iPhones. (Roz is actually behind me in this shot, as she's taking a picture, too. The other two just joined in.)

(Unfortunately, my bottle of water partially spilled across the page, so Jeremy, if I've recorded your name wrong, please accept my apologies.)

But to the rest of that line -- boy, my hat's off to you. You wanted it.