A short anecdote from this afternoon:
I am preparing for an upcoming trip to Costa Rica and conceptualized a better way to support my small 360 camera (Samsung Gear 360). I thought that the lightweight camera might be secured for nature shoots by staking it into the ground in an upright manner.
I already purchased a selfie stick which easily mounts the Samsung Gear 360 and I also had some loose odds and ends such as tripod spikes (3/8″ thread) and camera thumbscrews. However, I had no hardware that could attach the tripod spike to the 1/4″ 20 thread below the selfie stick.
I decided to check out my local Home Depot in Parsippany NJ. A quick glance down the hardware aisle revealed no couplers that could pair my threadings together. I flagged down two Home Depot employees working near the loose hardware aisle and asked if they had a solution.
Employee #1 said “That’s impossible to do”. Employee #2 said “I used to run my own machine shop, let’s see what I can do”. He grabbed a few small items off of the shelf and left for an employee-only area that housed a drill press. 15 minutes later and after spending $2.00 at the checkout I had my solution in hand.
Moral of the story is very few things are impossible. Most tasks just require a “can do attitude” and a conceptual flow chart.
A modified support stake for my selfie stick. Thanks to The Home Depot in Parsippany NJ
Dave Blinder Nature Photography 