The death of former Washington Bullets (now Wizards) player Manute Bol on June 19th has generated a lot of media attention. He is remembered not so much for his on-court accomplishments as for his commitment to fund the construction of hospitals in his homeland of Sudan. The depth of his generosity is enhanced by the fact that he delayed treatment of a serious kidney ailment in order to oversee the construction of one of those facilities. It has also been reported that he died virtually penniless.

To my knowledge, Bol did little to publicize his good works. But now through the power of the media, his accomplishments are known around the world. His dedication and activism inspired others to spread the good word. In a world of jazzed-up messages and outrageous claims, the life of Manute Bol speaks to us in a different voice—one of authenticity and humility.

I recently read about the latest crop of NBA players chosen to be inducted into the Hall of Fame. They were big stars of course, whose names I should remember. I’m embarrassed to say that I’ve forgotten them. I won’t forget Manute Bol.

I was late for work today but that’s okay. I stood in line in blistering heat for 3.5 hours today but that’s okay, too. I now have in my possession a shiny new black iPhone 4^®. I ordered it on June 15, the first day Apple^® started accepting pre-orders. This morning, I proudly joined about 120 members of my tribe’s subgroup—the pre-order folks—that stood alongside the other 400 or so general tribe members outside the Apple store in Bethesda, Maryland. I patiently waited to add to my collection of Apple products which includes an iPad^™ and MacBook^® Pro. Am I crazy? No. I am just a passionate believer in a company that consistently turns out innovative technology that makes my life easier and more enjoyable. Apple is not perfect and I don’t expect it to be. But, I have faith that they will fix whatever glitches come up. Seth Godin, you’d be proud of me. I’m actively recruiting tribal members. Just ask my co-workers. If I have my way, we’ll all be communicating via iPhone 4 soon.

As I stood in the 100-degree heat, I couldn’t help marveling over how Apple has the ability to create this amazing buzz over a phone—and lead people to camp out to get to one!