Via BuzzFeed
« best. costume. ever. :: "the Earth if the Earth Was a Sandwich" | Main | "a typographic anatomy lesson" »
November 3, 2010
charlie chaplin time traveler
i didn't think this video was for real until i saw for myself :: click below to see for YOURself ::
nicholas jackson at the atlantic seems to have it figured out :: http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2010/11/debunking-the-charlie-chaplin-time-travel-video/65486/
It's interesting to see how perception of gestures changes over time. I'm quite sure no one in 1928 would have made the same association the gentleman in the video made. On a similar note, I used to think people walking on the street talking out loud to no one in particular had escaped from a loony bin; now I just envy their bluetooth handset.
Posted by: Stephan at November 3, 2010 2:23 PM
it's surely an old hearing aid. siemens made some in the early 1900s. some commenters on slashdot linked the siemens historical site and it's undoubtedly what she's holding.
Posted by: ronji at November 3, 2010 2:43 PM
looks like LiveScience is saying that it's an old hearing aide. Gizmodo just ran a story on it too:
http://gizmodo.com/5678591/cell-phone+using-charlie-chaplin-movie-time-traveler-debunked
Posted by: Andrew at November 3, 2010 5:03 PM
Well. If it were mobile phone in 1928, it would be useless, as she would have no one she could call.
Plus, she wouldn't have a net.
So her talking wouldn't make sense.
Posted by: Manuel at November 3, 2010 10:22 PM
Well it's surely NOT a cell phone. She might be scratching, fixing her hair, talking to herself IF she is actually talking or perhaps adjusting a hearing aid. Let's get real, someone is trying to make something out of nothing for a profit.
Posted by: Ralph at November 3, 2010 11:56 PM
I would love the idea of time travel, but I would recommend people not get their hopes up just yet. It would have to be quite a bit in the future, as cellular phones these days still require a network of towers (even if you're really rocking it old school with an Iridium phone, they require satellites) I would love to get excited about this, but I'm retaining some skepticism.
Posted by: transiit at November 4, 2010 3:56 AM
Also, as some have commented, who would she be talking to and how? There were no telephone masts at the time, after all.
Posted by: zeptimius at November 4, 2010 4:40 AM
I like the time traveler explanation most, so lets just go with that :)
Posted by: Monthelie at November 4, 2010 6:28 AM
It's the "Ba Ba Ba / Fa Fa Fa" thing all over again. Person is using original sun block: hand.
Posted by: jeano at November 4, 2010 1:01 PM
Personally I'm convinced it actually IS a time traveller. Because dressing up in drag as an old granny and then travelling back in time to 1928 to use a mobile phone at the premier of a Charlie Chaplin movie is exactly what you would do with time travel at your disposal.
Posted by: Aidan Donnelly at November 4, 2010 7:17 PM
Um. It's CLEARLY an new iPhone ear piece. Who is she talking to? People from the future... There's an app for that.
Posted by: Sarah at November 4, 2010 7:40 PM
Well, clearly it has to be a time traveler. I mean, what else could it be? (Sarcasm)
Posted by: Mike at November 5, 2010 11:00 PM
I'm really curious to know if someone has a non-dvd version of the movie. You never know how bored those video producers can get these days.
Posted by: Somejeff at November 9, 2010 11:33 PM
Charlie_chaplin_1.. Awesome :)
Posted by: www.zefrank.com at May 5, 2011 6:43 PM